November 15: Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
When in doubt, throw it out! To keep your family safe, keep leftovers for only three to four days in the refrigerator. Label condiments with the date you open them. Below is a list of how long they can last.
- Olives: 2 weeks
- Taco Sauce: 1 month
- Barbeque Sauce: 4 months
- Ketchup: 6 months
- Pickles: 1–3 months
- Soy Sauce: 1 month
- Horseradish: 3–4 months
- Mayonnaise: 1–2 months
- Relish: 9 months
- Worcestershire Sauce: 1 year
- Hot sauce: 6 months
- Mustard: 1 year
- Salad dressing: 1–3 months
- Jams/Jelly: 6 months to 1 year
Source: FoodSafety.gov, www.foodsafety.gov
November 29: Throw Out Your Leftovers Day
This is a good reminder to either eat or freeze Thanksgiving leftovers within three to four days. To handle leftovers safely, use the following guidelines:
- Refrigerate food within two hours after cooking to keep it safe.
- Eat or freeze leftovers within four days.
- Use labels or masking tape and a black marker to write dates on food for the refrigerator or freezer. If you label leftovers in the refrigerator with the four-day-later date, you will see right away the last day you can safely eat them.
- Use Food Safety Charts, www.foodsafety.gov, to learn how long food can be safely stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Learn more about leftover food, www.fsis.usda.gov.
Source: UNL, food.unl.edu/november-food-calendar