Biggest Dangers:

1. Foods made with mayonnaise & other egg based dishes. That potato salad left over from the cookout is likely very dangerous to eat, even the next day.

2. Meat.Veggies will last longer, but meat should be put in the refrigerator immediately and consumed within 1 to 3 days max.

3. Food that has been sitting out for more than two hours or food that has been out for even one hour in 90+ degree weather.

Way to prevent food borne illness:

1. Freeze it. Right away.

2. Make sure you safely reheat it. This means it must reach 160 degress throughout. A microwave may not do the trick since they tend to cook unevenly. Use a stove or oven whenever possible.

3. If you’re not sure how long it’s been in the fridge, don’t bother.

4. Avoid cross contamination by keeping your fridge clean (no moldy science experiments) and keeping left overs away from raw meat packages.

5. For large amounts of leftovers, like chinese containers, you should store them in several small shallow containers. If you use a large container, there’s a chance that the middle won’t cool correctly and bacteria will begin to grow.

6. Reheat only once. If you have a large portion of chili in the fridge. Don’t reheat the whole container unless you plan on eating all of it. Once you’ve reheated it, it shouldn’t go back into the fridge.

7. Label it. Decide when your cut off day is and mark the leftover package. Stick to it and throw it away after the date.