So my wife and I make a good amount of freezer meals for ourselves. There's something I'd like to confirm regarding the thawing of already cooked food in the fridge and how long it's good for. As an example, let's say I cook a freezer meal on Monday and it's ready that day. That same day, I place the meal in a sealed container and in the fridge for 2 days (Wed). On Wed, I then portion out the leftovers and place them in a freezer bag and into the freezer.
At this point, they've spent 2 days as leftover, and are now frozen. Here's the real question. Those same meals, are now in the fridge and defrosted. How many days in the fridge are they good for? My understanding of raw meat is that freezing it only stops the "going bad" clock (for a while at least), but it doesn't reset it. Does the same rule apply to already cooked food? Would I now have 2 days (or whatever) left on these meals before they should be deemed as unfit to eat?
I've search high and low and haven't seen this topic addressed. If anyone has an answer, I'd love to reading material on it...preferably online.
At this point, they've spent 2 days as leftover, and are now frozen. Here's the real question. Those same meals, are now in the fridge and defrosted. How many days in the fridge are they good for? My understanding of raw meat is that freezing it only stops the "going bad" clock (for a while at least), but it doesn't reset it. Does the same rule apply to already cooked food? Would I now have 2 days (or whatever) left on these meals before they should be deemed as unfit to eat?
I've search high and low and haven't seen this topic addressed. If anyone has an answer, I'd love to reading material on it...preferably online.