How Long Can Meal Prep Be Stored?
The key to making the most of meal prep is making enough for multiple meals and refrigerating or freezing them. However, it is important to keep food safety in mind. Here are suggestions for storing your prepped items and meals in the refrigerator. The FDA recommends 40 degrees F or cooler and 0 degrees F for the freezer. Don’t forget to label items with their content and date.
Meal Prepped Items
Store meal prepped items that you have cut up, or cooked in preparation to go into larger meals in the refrigerator in a glass container with a lid.
Meal Prepped Uncooked Casseroles
Sometimes you may prepare a casserole in the morning, but need to store it until the evening to cook it through. Prep it in its cooking dish, then cover, and leave in the fridge until you are ready to heat and serve.
Leftovers
Leftovers are the best! Place leftovers into individual glass serving dishes with lids for lunches. For family-style dinner, place them in a larger glass dish with a lid. The USDA recommends putting leftovers in shallow containers for quick cooling and to refrigerate within 2 hours.
Prepped Items to Freeze for Later
When you prep more than you need, you can always freeze items for later. Make sure that anything you cook cools down. Once cool, place it in a freezer bag. Then, label the top with contents and date.
Meals to Freeze for Later
Whole cooked items like a casserole can be stored in their baking dish with an airtight seal on top, or in a disposable aluminum container. Be sure to wrap some aluminum foil over the container before affixing the aluminum top it comes with for extra freshness. For ready to go servings, you can use small BPA-free plastic containers that have a fitted lid.
How Long Can Meal Prep Be Stored
Here are the FDA’s guidelines for how long food can be kept in the refrigerator and freezer safely. Always remember, when in doubt, throw it out!
For the full FDA chart, go here.
Use Foodom to Make Meal Prep Easier
If you’re still short on time for meal planning, or simply don’t enjoy it, we have a solution for you! Foodom allows you to select a variety of dishes, snacks, and desserts from our web site. Then, it allows you to schedule a local chef to make the dishes for you in your home. Our clients typically schedule a weekly visit from a chef if they don’t want to cook much at all. Others choose twice a month so they are covered every other week, using freezer meals to supplement the off weeks.
Using Foodom costs less than stopping at a drive through or ordering delivery. It’s also healthier and tastier because it’s made from quality ingredients to your specifications.
Learn more about how Foodom works here.
