Oftentimes, Filipino food is served in excess, and for good reason. Our eating culture revolves around hospitality and preparing enough food to share with however many people coming over and probably a little more. Even if we exclude festivities, maybe you’re meal prepping for the week or you just ended up making too much food that you can’t finish in one sitting. At that point, leftovers in your refrigerator are guaranteed.
And yes, there is such a thing as leaving it in the fridge for too long. It’s important to understand which dishes can be stored in the fridge and how long they respectively last in there without losing their taste, nutrients, and essence overall. Here’s five considerations to keep in mind so that you don’t end up wasting your ulam.
1. Let Your Ulam Cool Down First
At what temperature you store your food can already dictate how long or how short it can last.
Before you can even consider putting any dish inside your refrigerator, you must wait until your food has completely cooled down. This is especially the case if you are putting larger amounts of food as it can lead to them spoiling much faster. At the very least, leave it out for around 20 to 30 minutes before placing it inside the fridge.
2. Use Dry Containers
I believe it goes without saying to use clean containers when storing food in the fridge or to make sure they are covered. Some prefer using airtight containers. In the fridge in my house, we opt to use plates as makeshift lids.
What I think is worth pointing out is keep your containers dry before you transfer the food. Any excess moisture mixed into your food can lead to bacteria and mold to grow as you leave it in the cold.
Use a clean paper towel or rug used to clean your kitchen and tableware and thoroughly wipe off any moisture that may have come from freshly washing it.
3. Fried Food Will Lose Their Crunch
While it is in theory possible to store any fried foods like lumpia or Pinoy fried chicken in the fridge to lengthen its shelf life, you risk losing the texture it is so well known for having. Placing any food in the fridge that has been pan or deep fried is a sure-fire way to lose its signature crispness because of all the moisture.
If you can help it, consume it within the first few hours after cooking it.
If you are meal prepping, you can either prioritize eating your meals with fried foods first before the other prepared meals or consider a different cooking method altogether.
If you really insist on placing your fried ulam inside the fridge, they can last 3 to 4 days. Your best chance to revive them is by reheating it using an oven or an air fryer.
4. Vegetables Will Not Last Long
How long a dish can actually last in the fridge entirely depends on which ingredients were used to make it. Some ingredients fare better even after being cooled and reheated, while others not so much.
If you’d ask my mother, she’d say you can’t store sinigang in the fridge, point blank. And her stance isn’t without some merit.
Dishes that have a lot of vegetables like sinigang or nilaga should theoretically be okay to be left in the chiller for 2 to 4 days. If you leave the whole batch in the freezer, it can last up to one week. Your biggest problem would be the vegetables like leafy greens as they turn slimy after only the first or second day.
Regardless if you choose to store them in the chiller or in the freezer, you can try separating the vegetables and just cooking new leafy vegetables for when you reheat them.
5. Consider The Protein
Your choice of protein is another thing that can dictate how long it can last being stored in the refrigerator.
Dishes that include cooked poultry like (chicken, turkey, and duck) and cooked red meat (beef and pork) can last up to 3 to 4 days. On the other hand, dishes made using cooked ground meat lasts only 1 to 2 days in the chiller and is recommended to be frozen instead.
Seafood (fish and shellfish) is much more delicate, so it’s best to store it for only 2 to 3 days, 4 days should be the maximum.
Other common proteins you might be storing in your fridge like hard boiled eggs and beans or lentils can last up to a week and 3 to 5 days respectively.
6. Vinegar Dishes Thrive In The Cold
On the same topic of certain ingredients determining how well they store in the fridge, vinegar becomes your best friend when it comes to lengthening the shelf life of your food as it is a natural preservative. And luckily, it’s a staple of many Filipino dishes.
When storing any adobo or paksiw dishes, they should be able to last 5 to 7 days in your fridge. If anything, they taste just as good or sometimes even better after you reheat them!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can technically store fried food inside the fridge and it would last 3 to 4 days. You just run the risk of losing the crispiness and crunch fried food is known for.
If you really insist in doing this, its recommended to reheat it using either an oven or an air fryer.
Soup dishes like sinigang can last 2 to 4 days in the fridge.
Do take note that while the meat and the broth should be fine within that duration, the cooked vegetables will becomes mushy within the first day or so. Consider storing the sinigang without the vegetables and just adding new ones whenever you reheat it.
It’s because of the vinegar! Because it is a natural preservatives, dishes like adobo and paksiw na baboy not only fare well when stored in the fridge, but they taste just as good even after reheating.
Any airtight plastic or glass container should work. Some also opt to use a plate to cover the food while in its original bowl or other tableware.
What is important is to make sure it is clean and it is dry before you transfer the food. Excessive moisture can lead to mold and bacterial growth to occur being inside the fridge.
It is not recommended to store food that is still hot inside the refrigerator and it runs the risks of spoiling even faster. Wait around 20 to 30 minutes for the dish to cool down before putting it inside the fridge.
