I don’t do “batch cooking” per se, but often cook something larger on saturday/sunday so I have leftover, either for Monday/thuesday lunch or for when coming back from sport, keeping food 2-3 in the fridge doesn’t worry me (Obviously, I am not gonna keep a tartare so long in the frige, and don’t even cook meat). Things start to be more worrysome when I still have leftover on Wednesday/Thursday. yesterday night I threw away some beans from Saturday I started to have a doubt.
So my question is basically
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How to optimize food preservation in the fridge (I have a small fridge with a very small freezer compartment, in winter when the temperature doesn’t get above 5 degree I can use my balcony for extra space, but it’s already over)
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Is there a guideline on how long which kind of food can last in a regular fridge ?
How long food lasts in a fridge will also depend on your climate, cooling speed (as mentioned elsewhere), fridge cleanliness, and how much you use your fridge.
Keeping everything covered with lids/clingfilm and/or everything vegetarian/vegan will also prolong fridge life. Keeping out ethylene (bananas, apples) from your fridge also helps.
I just had a soup batch in a few covered jars stay good for 9 days. In summertime things sometimes go bad in a single day.
The best measure is your own senses, if the food smells or looks bad, it probably is. And even then you can sometimes recook it (wilted vegetables can often be used in soup, stew, or even pie), especially if you catch it early.
Also here’s a neat summary with some other tips and tricks.