How to store casseroles
Best place: the fridge. USDA gives casseroles a fridge time (3 to 4 days, from purchase) and no pantry time, so they belong in the fridge as soon as you get home.
No guideline
3 to 4 days
from purchase
No guideline
How casseroles compare with other deli & prepared foods
USDA FoodKeeper gives casseroles one time: 3 to 4 days in the fridge from purchase, and no figure for the other places. A blank usually means the food is not stored that way, not that the data is missing. The foods USDA lists next to casseroles in deli & prepared foods show the range for the group:
| Food | Pantry | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian bacon(first of 2 kinds) | no guideline | 2 weeks | 2 months |
| Chicken(first of 2 kinds) | no guideline | 1 to 2 days | 12 months |
| Chicken salad | no guideline | 3 to 4 days | Not recommended |
| Coleslaw | no guideline | 3 to 5 days | no guideline |
| Commercial brand vacuum-packed dinners | no guideline | 2 weeks | Not recommended |
| Cooked pasta | no guideline | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Cooked rice | no guideline | 4 to 6 days | 6 months |
| Egg salad | no guideline | 3 to 4 days | Not recommended |
| Fruit, cut | no guideline | Use by the package date | Not recommended |
About deli & prepared foods. Deli meats, prepared salads, leftovers and rotisserie chicken are ready to eat, which means any bacteria present can grow without further cooking to stop them. These foods depend heavily on quick refrigeration and short turnaround times to stay safe. All deli & prepared foods.
How to tell casseroles have gone bad
General signs for deli & prepared foods, the group USDA lists casseroles under.
- Sour, sulfur-like or generally off smell from ready-to-eat food
- Sliminess on deli meat or a slick film on salad
- Watery separation showing up in mayonnaise-based salads
- Dry, hardened edges on rotisserie chicken left uncovered
- Colour that has dulled or greyed since purchase
More on deli & prepared foods. The times above are quality guidelines, not safety limits; food that shows these signs goes out regardless of the date.
Storage habits that make the difference
Refrigerate deli and prepared foods within two hours of purchase or cooking, in shallow covered containers for faster cooling. Use most within three to four days, and reheat leftovers until steaming hot before eating. Freeze portions you will not finish in time, and label them clearly with the date.
How to store other deli & prepared foods
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.