Leftover Calculator
How many servings are actually left, and how long they'll safely keep.
Servings remaining
How long common leftovers keep (refrigerated)
| Food | Safe for |
|---|---|
| Cooked meat & poultry | 3–4 days |
| Soups & stews | 3–4 days |
| Cooked pasta & rice | 3–4 days |
| Cooked vegetables | 3–4 days |
| Egg dishes | 3–4 days |
| Salads with mayo (potato, egg, chicken salad) | 3–4 days |
| Pizza | 3–4 days |
Assumes refrigeration within 2 hours of cooking, at or below 40°F. When in doubt, throw it out.
Why 3-4 days is the number for almost everything
This range comes from USDA food safety guidance and applies broadly across most cooked leftovers stored properly — it's not that every food is identical, but that the risk of bacterial growth in refrigerated (not frozen) cooked food follows a similar timeline across most everyday dishes. Freezing extends this dramatically, often to months, if you don't expect to eat something within that refrigerated window.
The 2-hour rule matters as much as the storage duration
Food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour above 90°F, like an outdoor picnic) should be discarded rather than refrigerated and eaten later — the "3-4 days" storage guideline assumes the food was refrigerated promptly, not that it sat out for an extended period first.
Trust your senses, but don't rely on them alone
Some harmful bacteria don't change a food's smell, taste, or appearance at all, so "it still looks and smells fine" isn't a reliable safety check on its own past the recommended window — use the storage time as the primary guide, and treat your senses as a secondary check for food that's gone visibly or obviously bad sooner than expected.