How Long Can You Still Eat Leftovers in the Fridge?

Don’t always have time to cook? That’s fine, there are always leftovers!

Inside Edition wanted to find out just how long leftovers are safe to eat. So we asked Peter DeLucia, the Westchester County assistant health commissioner, for his best advice on fridge staples.

DeLucia tested an egg salad from the fridge of local mother and dietician Ilyse Schapiro. The results were astounding. After three days, the bacteria in the food had increased by 4,000%.

“A lot of spoilage bacteria going on in there, things that are starting to get a little funky,” DeLucia said. “This is almost ready for the garbage after three days.”

With Thanksgiving coming up, the team decided to test leftover turkey as well.

By day three, it was already time to say goodbye, as the bacteria also increased by the thousands.

DeLucia's take away message was simple: "No more than four days, because at the end of the day, your health is at stake.”

Want to see how other foods fared the test?

Check out the video above.

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