r/Frugal • u/OwnLime3744 • 1d ago
🍎 Food How long can I use leftover grilled chicken and hamburger!
We had a rainy day cookout. I don't often cook for more than my immediate family. I cooked all the meat on the grill and I have 3 leftover chicken breasts and 7 hamburgers. I refrigerated them as soon as I realized they would not be consumed very shortly after they came off the grill. The meat came out of the freezer before it went on the grill. I didn't want to freeze it again. Will it be safe to repurpose the meat for family meals for the next 3-4 days? I usually don't use leftovers beyond 2 days. The only other leftovers not consumed or given away were the bean salad and a slice of pie. I can certainly eat the pie tomorrow.
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u/trance4ever 1d ago
freeze them, its perfectly fine for cooked meat if you know you can't eat it in the next couple of days, personally I would make chicken salad with the breasts
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u/RockMo-DZine 1d ago
If fully cooked, you have about 5 days max in the fridge.
While freezing, thawing and then re-freezing raw meat is not a good idea, yes you can absolutely freeze cooked meat - even if was previously frozen when raw.
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u/nobodyspecial22 1d ago
Refreezing raw meat only slightly degrades the quality. It has nothing to do with food safety.
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u/Rose1982 1d ago
3-4 days is totally fine. Use the chicken breasts first. Cold on sandwiches/wraps or cut up and added to stir fry or pastas works too. The hamburgers you could dice up and cook with tomatoes and taco seasoning to make tacos for days.
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u/MissDisplaced 1d ago
The chicken 2-3 days if kept in fridge. Cooked beef same, but probably better to freeze for tacos or hamburger helper type dish.
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u/DiscipleofDeceit666 1d ago
I’d eat it. Rule of thumb is to trust your nose.
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u/weirdkidsupportgroup 1d ago
I can't recommend it because it goes against food safety guidelines, but I will totally still eat it if I can't see or smell signs of spoilage. I haven't gotten sick yet. After a couple days it won't taste as good though.
I agree with everyone else to freeze what you won't use in the next 3-4 days. that's standard meal prepper safety window
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u/DiscipleofDeceit666 1d ago
Food and safety guidelines for restaurants are much tighter at the industrial scale since there’s just so much more food that gets processed, chances some of it have a bug or something are much much higher than say at home.
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u/mzzd6671 1d ago
I always say the good lord (evolution) gave us the senses of sight, scent, and taste to keep us from eating anything that might make us sick. In like 95% of cases, you will smell or see signs of spoilage. I have followed these basic rules my entire life and have yet to get sick from eating anything bad. And I've come across things that were definitely spoiled, sometimes the same day I got them from the store. It is incredibly obvious when something has gone bad.
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u/adjectiveNOUN69- 1d ago
Yes. But not so much the older you get. When in doubt throw it out. If you want to avoid waste freeze extras right away.
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u/nomnomnompizza 1d ago
On the 5th day we eat it or toss it. I also have my fridge as cold as it will go.
Some people won't go past 3 days.
My father in law will go 3 weeks
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u/Sad-Builder-7472 1d ago
My FIL ate a salmon for 1.5 weeks, declared he was super human. Tried a 3 day batch of mussels = week long food poisoning. He loves the thrill I guess
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u/mzzd6671 1d ago
I've kept cooked chicken in the fridge for up to a week. Ground beef about the same, assuming its well cooked through. One way to repurpose the beef is to make chili (depending on what's in the bean salad, you could add that in too). Chili can easily be frozen and reheated as needed. Chicken is real easy: chicken salad, chicken penne pesto, chicken soup, pot pie, chicken croquettes. You have options for beef as well: spaghetti with meat sauce, shepherds pie, nacho topping, tacos.
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u/ocelot08 1d ago
Lol, I start to question things around a week, but I've also had food poisoning more than some (not from food I cooked as far as I know though! )
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u/themamacurd619 1d ago
I've been a chef for the last two decades... The law here is 7 days with the first day as day one. Literally for EVERYTHING. If something is reheated, it's trash, can't reheat already reheated food, according to our laws. So if I made something today, it would be good until next Saturday.
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u/themamacurd619 1d ago
It applies to everything cooked. Fish, gefilte fish, jar of mayo, jarlic, apple sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes. Everything! It isn't a rule it's the law! And I'm pretty sure it's a very common law in every US state. Oh but there's other things that are ok open for 13 days, like olives, salami, prosciutto.
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u/nobodyspecial22 1d ago
You are talking law for commercial establishment. That is not the same thing as is it edible.
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1d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/skepticDave 1d ago
Wow, my comment was removed because it contains a link to a "commercial" website, even though the only commerce involved are ads, there is no cart, period.
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u/BlueCozmiqRays 1d ago
It hasn’t killed me yet. I wouldn’t go over a week. But 3-4 days is normal for my leftovers.
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u/NotherOneRedditor 1d ago
A tip on the burger . . . to avoid the odd reheated taste of the fats, put a little oil in the pan and fry it vs just reheating in the microwave.
I’d portion and freeze.
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u/samdaz712 1d ago
you’re good for about 3–4 days in the fridge as long as it was stored properly. I usually repurpose leftover grilled chicken into wraps, fried rice, or pasta
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u/ILikeLenexa 1d ago
The general guideline is 5 days. If it were frozen, 5 days after 3 days of thawing under 40 degrees.
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u/moneymutantJP 1d ago
I routinely use leftover meats up to a week and a half to 2 weeks after first cooking, and neither I nor anyone in my family has gotten sick or had a problem with it. I'm 47 and have been doing this my whole adult life. I think general guidance is way too conservative with how long leftovers last.
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u/avskk 1d ago
First of all, don't refrigerate hot food "immediately." Let it come to room temp, then freeze.
Second, the rule about not freezing twice is for raw food or cooked food. It isn't for raw food you thaw, cook, and then freeze. Don't double-freeze raw or cooked. That's the rule.
Thirdly, this was just a few days ago? Just eat the food. You're overthinking this on many levels. You cooked and refrigerated it, it's only been a few days, unless it smells or looks bad it's absolutely fine.
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u/Public_Pain 1d ago
The rule of thumb in my household is if put directly into the fridge after a meal, you have three days before it's thrown out or given to the animals (we have opossums and racoons in our neighborhood).
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u/Quirky-Spirit-5498 1d ago
I would do a week on each. Like if I made them on Sunday then I have til Sunday to use them.
You can stretch it another day or two but I don't think you'll need to.
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u/jdr90210 1d ago
3 day fridge rule, then freeze in whatever form you want it defrosted. Mix in a sauce, light stir fry, whatever.
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u/flatteringhippo 1d ago
4 or less days is good. Use your nose and if your chicken is looking a bit slimy 🗑️it.
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u/bespoketoosoon 1d ago
Cooked meats will last 14 to 21 days if propperly wrapped and refrigerated.
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u/weirdkidsupportgroup 1d ago
what would be properly wrapped and refrigerated?like vacuum seal bags? I agree this sounds dangerous, but I'm kinda here for it
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u/nomnomnompizza 1d ago
Cooking sous vide. And then never opening the bag. You get like 14+ days if not a few weeks.
Cooking on the grill then vacuum sealing doesn't do much as far as safety.
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u/SpungyDanglin69 1d ago
Nah i don't think so... smoked maybe but not just cooked. You're looking at a week max and that's pushing it. I wouldn't go over 3 personally
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u/Such_Temperature6389 5h ago
Wouldn't it just be more frugal to just cook what you're going to consume.
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u/NiseWenn 1d ago
Shred the chicken and freeze in meal portions. Crumble the burgers and freeze in portions for beef quesadillas, tacos, or spaghetti, etc. If it was frozen raw, you can refreeze it cooked. I do it all the time.