Are you afraid that your pizza is still edible or not? If that is the case, you need to identify the condition of the food immediately. Learn everything about “how long does pizza last in the box?”
A pizza generally lasts in the box for around 2 hours. And if you refrigerate it, it can last for about 4 days. The main fact is if you don’t know when you are going to eat that pizza, you need to store it in the right method. And for that, you need to read the facts about the method to know how to store them well.
In this article, we are showing the things to identify if the pizza is okay, the time limit of the pizza to last, and how you can store them before it’s bad. Let’s get right into the description to know more!
Can Pizza Go Bad?
Imagine, you have ordered a large size pizza but there are leftovers because you cannot finish it. The leftovers were left on that table overnight. How do you know if it doesn’t go bad and you can still eat it? Is it safe to eat? Does it go bad?
You need to find out the answer. Also, if you want to store the leftovers, how can you do that? There is a solution to every problem. The pizza can go bad. But if you can keep it in the right way, you can save it from going bad.
In this article, you can learn how you can get information on how long pizza lasts, how you can store or freeze leftover pizzas, how you can tell if it’s still edible, and some tips too. Keep reading further to know more about it.
How Can You Tell If The Pizza Is Bad?
There are some ways by which you can tell the pizza is bad. You should always check your pizza before starting to eat. Here are the things you can do to check whether the pizza is bad or not.
Bad Smell
If you find anything wrong with the smell, there is a chance for that pizza to go bad. In that case, you should avoid eating it. Pizza can get the smell if it is slightly open. So, one kind of pizza can smell like the other food if it is not properly sealed. And when it happens, the pizza becomes bad.
Organic Growth
If you see something wrong with the upper layer of the pizza like any change in the color of any ingredients, then you should consider it a bad one. We highly recommend you not have that pizza.
When It Tastes Bad
If you notice any change in the taste, you should highly avoid eating that pizza. While reheating the food, if you smell any difference, throw it away.
Besides these points, if you see the leftovers have dried out and it seems quite hard, you can reheat them and check whether it tastes normal or not. It’s up to you if you want to eat that or throw it away.
How Long Does Pizza Last in The Box?
Any leftover pizza is safe for around two hours at room temperature. And if you refrigerate it, this can last for four days.
The United States Department of Agriculture suggests you can apply some methods to store the food for a bit longer like 1-2 hours more. It is possible if you follow some tricks that we are going to share with you further in this article.
However, in an overall sense, if you want to be safe, you should follow the ultimate USDA guidelines that we mentioned earlier.
How to Store Pizza?
When there are leftovers and you’re not going to eat them for several hours, you can store them for later. The quickest thing you can do is store them in the refrigerator. The quicker you put them in the fridge, the better.
You should refrigerate it within two hours of arrival. After all of you and your guests are done having the pizza, clear the area of the table and refrigerate the leftovers. You can always reheat them and eat them later.
Pizza doesn’t immediately go bad. It takes minimal time. If you store it within time, it is better. Store it in that cardboard box that the pizza comes in if it is not delayed to store.
But if it is outside for a long time, you need to store them by wrapping each slice with aluminum foil. It helps to seal the pizza and avoid any airflow. Last but not the least, you need to freeze them if you are not going to eat them for a long time.
How to Freeze Leftover Pizza – Step By Step Guide
To freeze the leftovers, all you need is just aluminum foil and some freezer bags. See the process entirely.
Step 1: Wrap The Slices
Wrap each of the slices in aluminum foil. You can take a freezer bag and store all the wrapped foils in it.
Step 2: Put It Into An Airtight Container
This step is optional. Put the slices into an airtight container. It helps the slices to keep intact.
Step 3: Put Them In a Freezer
Now, put everything in the freezer to freeze them.
That’s it! You can store them for weeks or a couple of months without losing the quality.
Tips You May Need
Some things may help you more to get to know if it’s gone bad or just to store it for a long time. See the tips below:
- Do not put pizzas in the refrigerator when it’s hot
- If you smell it weird, avoid eating it
- You can put the frozen pizza slices directly into the oven
- Defrost food slowly if you want the better quality
- If you are not sure when you are going to eat them, freezing is what you need to do
- When the food is neither cold nor hot, it’s in the danger zone, so avoid having the pizza at that time as it can develop bacteria even faster
Wrap Up
Now that you know the facts about “how long does pizza last in the box?”, you can take the necessary steps to get rid of this kind of situation.
There is a lot of information we have given you like how to identify if the pizza is bad, how to store and freeze them, and much other information to deal with this situation.
Learn the facts well and then store the leftovers if it’s not bad yet. Do not waste food!