How long will homemade chili keep in the fridg?

A stupid question I guess,but I'm asking anyway.I've been under the impression you should consume cooked foods within 2-3 days if not frozen,but I know it will keep a little longer than that.Reason I'm asking I have some that I cooked about 6 days ago and still looks and smells very good,and I'm getting ready to throw it out and make some more,seems wasteful if it could be eaten.It has lots of fresh ground dried new mexico hot chili's,maybe that would preserve it!I have never food poisoned myself,but I have had food poisoning,hence the toss it out and fixin' more.I won't say if it has beans or not!Thank's

heat it real good, you should be fine, i've done the same many times.. however if you die, I told you to throw it out!

junk250, as my mommy says, if it smells fine eat ut!..Trust your nose!...She said when she was growing up, her mamaw would make food for the farmhands in the fields, and it would be left out for many hours until, it was all eaten and gone!....She says she don't ever remember anyone ever getting sick...They kept food cold in cellers,etc,...then...turn of the century....Strong mountain folk!...EAT THE CHILI!!!!...Needless to say, my ol' mam don't take much to the health dept. guidelines!...But you know, thinking about it now, I don't ever remember getting sick or anything....Tom B. in the cold, foggy, mountains of Eastern Kentucky.

I once interviewed somebody about this very topic and here's what they told me... #4 and #5 seem most relevant to your issue.

1) Because E.coli is known to live and multiply in ground beef, any chili recipe including ground beef should be cooked so that E. coli is killed....a minimum of 155°F, with 160° preferred.

2) It should be recalled that even though beans may start off dry, once water is added, they can easily become a "potentially hazardous" food, allowing harmful bacteria to multiply to levels that can make us ill.

3) Of all the things we do to foods, by far the leading cause of foodborne illness is improper cooling and reheating of leftovers. All leftovers (including chili) need to be cooled rapidly and not left to stand at room temperature to cool...in fact, in the temperature range of 40°–140°, bacteria can double their numbers every 20 minutes!!

4) When reheating, all leftovers must be reheated to an internal temperature of 165° (yes, even chili) in order to kill the bacteria that can live and multiply in leftover foods (usually clostridium perfringens).

5) Once a portion of a leftover has been reheated, any remainder of that portion must be discarded...we simply cannot safely reheat foods another time.

If you have food safety concerns, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) operates a 24-hour hotline at (800) FDA-4010.

I disagree, hungovergourmet. What are we worried about here? Two things, possibly, as I see it. If bacteria have grown and are ingested--live--they will make you sick. And in the act of growing, they may have made the food taste bad. The bacteria can be killed by recooking the food. This is more than simply reheating it. It means actually cooking it to the bubbly stage and then continuing that for maybe half an hour--add more liquid if needed. Then (and only then because otherwise any bacteria may not be dead)) taste it. If it tastes OK, I see no reason not to eat and enjoy it.

PS--Like Jennifer, if this suggestion kills you, you didn't hear it from me--but it IS the approach I usually take to something I've made that a really, really liked but didn't finish off within the recommended 2-3 days.

My rule is 4 days and freeze it... Anything beyond that I prefer to toss vs. risk having to sit on the commode half the day...

Thank's all,I cooked some "new" hot chili and was a big hit with corn chips.But you all are responding to my specific questions, thank's.Of course I used correct quick cool of leftovers,and use ground chuck for beef,no fat.I think it would have kept for another week and been very tasty,but safety first I guess.Just hate to waste good food!An interesting subject I think,so if you bring to 160 it's safe?I remember eating green bacon,got it hot and ate it,hasn't killed me yet!

I am a health inspector; my advice is that once cooked, it must be cooled down to 41 degrees or below within 4 hours; that is usually only accomplished by placing the pot in your kitchen sink, surrounding it by ice and water, and stirring frequently until cool, then promptly refrigerating...OR placing in a layer 2 inches or shallower in the refrigerator once it has cooled to 140 degrees at room temperature. Everyone should have a digital instant read long stem probe thermometer to check these things. Then, it is good for 4 days in refrigerator, after which it must be frozen or discarded. Usually it would have no adverse smell or taste if it contained dangerous microorganisms that cause foodborne illness like campylobacter or salmonella. It is different SPOILAGE microorganisms that give it an off taste or smell...this is a different subset of organisms and do not cause foodborne illness, but you would obviously not want to eat the affected food. beth g

Ive kept Chilli in the Fridge for a week or two at a time and never had a problem.Its the acid in the tomatoes that will keep it from spoiling.Same with Spagehtti Sauce.

quote:

Originally posted by bethgrd

I am a health inspector; my advice is that once cooked, it must be cooled down to 41 degrees or below within 4 hours; that is usually only accomplished by placing the pot in your kitchen sink, surrounding it by ice and water, and stirring frequently until cool, then promptly refrigerating...OR placing in a layer 2 inches or shallower in the refrigerator once it has cooled to 140 degrees at room temperature. Everyone should have a digital instant read long stem probe thermometer to check these things. Then, it is good for 4 days in refrigerator, after which it must be frozen or discarded. Usually it would have no adverse smell or taste if it contained dangerous microorganisms that cause foodborne illness like campylobacter or salmonella. It is different SPOILAGE microorganisms that give it an off taste or smell...this is a different subset of organisms and do not cause foodborne illness, but you would obviously not want to eat the affected food. beth g

However, beth, I still maintain that either campylobacter OR salmonella (or staph or shigella or whatever) would be killed by adequate "recooking" as I suggested though NOT by simply reheating.

Sorry to be persistent, but sometimes when you make a great chili it's just hard to duplicate and I, for one, HATE tossing it out.

BT..sorry to disagree but many bacteria form heat resistant spores which survive the reheating to 165 degrees. If you have ever had foodborne illness, you would not want to take a chance with it because it is HELL.

All - My solution is to freeze serving-size portions of the leftovers, and make certain to re-heat to boiling before consuming. I had some last night over crumbled corn chips. Yummm!

Please don't subject yourself to food poisoning. My daughter had salmonella once and I have never seen anyone as sick as she was.
There is an interesting article in Good Housekeeping about a little girl who almost died from the contaminated ground beef distributed by Con Agra a year or so ago.

quote:

Originally posted by bethgrd

I am a health inspector; my advice is that once cooked, it must be cooled down to 41 degrees or below within 4 hours; that is usually only accomplished by placing the pot in your kitchen sink, surrounding it by ice and water, and stirring frequently until cool, then promptly refrigerating...OR placing in a layer 2 inches or shallower in the refrigerator once it has cooled to 140 degrees at room temperature. Everyone should have a digital instant read long stem probe thermometer to check these things. Then, it is good for 4 days in refrigerator, after which it must be frozen or discarded. Usually it would have no adverse smell or taste if it contained dangerous microorganisms that cause foodborne illness like campylobacter or salmonella. It is different SPOILAGE microorganisms that give it an off taste or smell...this is a different subset of organisms and do not cause foodborne illness, but you would obviously not want to eat the affected food. beth g

As a licensed food handler, I agree with this statement. Food kept refrigerated after the process must be dated on the container to avoid being served to the public. A health inspector may fine and/or close a restaurant for not labeling/dating such items. This is used to protect the consumer from potential illnesses which may cause long, severe, and even fatal results.

I never eat anything that is more than two days old. I probably have thrown out a lot of good food but I do not care. I would rather be safe than sorry. I have now learned to,if it is not consumed the 2nd day, to freeze it in proper size containers.

On the other hand, my daughter in law will take left-overs to work, put them in her office fridge and eat them all week. She has never become ill and it is hard for me to believe.

Leftovers?
When you have 8 kids in the immediate neighborhood..and 19 grandchildren stopping by often, There aren't any freakin' Leftovers !!

quote:

Originally posted by bethgrd

BT..sorry to disagree but many bacteria form heat resistant spores which survive the reheating to 165 degrees. If you have ever had foodborne illness, you would not want to take a chance with it because it is HELL.

Hey, I've had it all over the world. The worst was in Thailand. But a good bowl of red is worth the risk. Just keep the Pepto Bismol, Imodium and/or Cipro handy.

Hell, I've let a long-cooked dish like chili go 10 days or so. I too believe in my nose. If it doesn't smell bad, eat it. Haven't got sick yet, I'm 41.

quote:

Originally posted by bethgrd

BT..sorry to disagree but many bacteria form heat resistant spores which survive the reheating to 165 degrees. If you have ever had foodborne illness, you would not want to take a chance with it because it is HELL.

HELL is an understatement,about 15 years ago I was traveling with a friend and stopped in a hick town to eat and the only restaurant was a place I refused to eat(Burger Queen).Well starving,I reluctantly ordered an order of potato wedges(safe enough right?)...WRONG.Within minutes I thought I was dying,and about a day and a half of a CONSTANT stomach cramp.Imagine a "30 hour Charlie Horse".My stomach was sore to the touch for two weeks after due to the massive 30 hour cramp.I believe I now have an idea what childbirth is like without painkillers!

Thank's everyone for an informative thread!

P.S. While the food inspector is here,I have another question.What is in white castles that has a similar effect on me?I haven't ate a slider in about 20 years and never will,but just curious!

Makes you wonder how people survived before refrigeration !

Of course....makes ya' wonder how many people did not survive before refrigeration.

I used to travel a lot in third-world countries. The rule was: never eat it if it's not hot, i.e., heated to cooking temp before serving. Use that rule, and usually there's not trouble, and that's eating in some end-of-the-road places. If it's served out of a pot that's just sitting at room temp (including the juice people on the street), expect to be dealing with Mr. John. Funny thing: most of the people I worked with had the most trouble with "good" hotel breakfast buffets: fresh (uncooked) fruits, and pans of stuff that sit out for hours at incubation temperatures.

Boiling it up every few days will kill the germs. Whether is tastes good is a different question. But then, there are some germs that make toxins. . . you didn't hear it from me.

At my house, 2 - 3 days, then it goes bye-bye.

carl reitz

quote:

Originally posted by GordonW

Funny thing: most of the people I worked with had the most trouble with "good" hotel breakfast buffets: fresh (uncooked) fruits, and pans of stuff that sit out for hours at incubation temperatures.

Boiling it up every few days will kill the germs. Whether is tastes good is a different question. But then, there are some germs that make toxins. . . you didn't hear it from me.

You got it--the thing that got me in Thailand was canapes served at "happy hour" in my upscale hotel (after I had spent a week walking past all the yummy food vendors out in the street).

Most of the toxins, by the way, are "heat labile" meaning thorough recooking ("boiling" if you will) should take care of them too. Our health inspector correctly pointed out that some spores may survive heating, but they aren't likely to cause a problem if you consume the food right away (if you don't, they will "hatch" into new germs).

Let me also note that we in the West get a bit too squeamish about these things sometimes I think. There are cuisines in other cultures that have foods that are kept and "recooked" for a very long time. "Red cooked" foods in China are simmered in a sauce that can actually be passed down in families for hundreds of years--but it is reboiled each time it is used. In the old days, it wasn't uncommon to keep a stock pot simmering on the stove for weeks or months--water and vegetable trimmings were simply added as they became available or were needed.

4 days max!

Cool it FAST. Heat it SLOW. Freeze chili? NADA. Use V-8 or similar to reconstitute, if/when needed. (never H20...)

Throw it out!! I agree! I just got food poisoning from chilli I made last night. The Beans were four days old. I did not know that beans were so perishable. I wish I knew that.

Adj, freezing chili just makes it better. Freezer bags work fine if you get all the air out. The vacume bags work as well. I even did a test w/ the same batch of chili, frozen vs fresh. I liked the frozen better.

Chili keeps a long time if you just bring it back to a boil every few days. If it is in danget of geting over cooked then it's time to freeze it. Throw out a good batch of chili??? That's just wrong! Waste not... want not... my PawPaw used to say.
Joe

If it has "Fuzzies" on it you might want to throw it out!
I was in a closeout supermarket today.
 http://www.americandiscountfoods.com/
They had 5# institutional frozen vac pacs of Clam Chowder and Chili. I passed but did buy the frozen packs of Oscar Meyer weiners. That's the only ones the bride will eat. Got insurance on her!!!

It will keep from 5 to 7 days. 

Around a week max. But it depends on how long you leave it out after you cook it.

Sorry for being a little off topic- have a food safety question hoping the pros from Dover here can help me with.  Came home and put groceries away, and realized about 2 hours later I had put a 4-pk of tuna(4-3oz canned tuna in water) in the refrigerator, and wanted to know after two hours, could I have taken them out and put them in the pantry where they belong?  Not being sure, I left them, had one other day,  with  no adverse effects other than being cold.  I realize the odds of ever doing that again are slim, but just curious. 

I use slow smoked BBQ by Classic Foods. It comes in convenient packaging...can store for several weeks in fridge. No problem at all!

When we do a big batch of chili we leave a serving in the fridge for the next day or two (improves the flavor) and freeze the rest.  Frozen, we feel 'safe' for up to 60 days, but it is usually long gone before that!

3 Days max...Russ

My general rule of thumb is if it is collecting water in the bottom of the container-then it's time to chunk it.  Or give it the "cat test"-if he turns his nose up or tries to cover it up-time to chunk it.

It's not good to keep the chili very long a the fridge. It may accumulate bacteria during a long period and could be harmful. I suggest you tossed after a few days to ensure food safety. 

ussually toss it whenever it becomes green & furry