We Survived Our Stir-Fry
By Jim Bauer
@porwest (106361)
United States
August 27, 2025 7:37am CST
Let me just get this post underway by starting off saying, Chinese food is LOADED with salt. The meats are brined, first of all, and even some of the vegetables are brightened by brines and salty accents to boost the color.
Salt preserves things.
That is an important detail to note as I mention that on Saturday, the 16th, we had a pool party at my sister and brother-in-law's house when my aunt was in town and we gathered the fam for some fun, food and drink, and ordered a ton of Chinese food.
My sister has a terrible habit of being wasteful and she's prone to throw food away, which just irritates the hell out of me. When we got back from our Memphis/Nashville trip, my aunt was still in town, and we did dig into some of the leftovers, and while we were gone her husband (who did not join us) ate some of it as well.
But there was still quite a bit left and I knew my sister would toss it out. So, I texted her and told her to put it into mom's fridge downstairs and I would pick it up on Tuesday (which was yesterday) when I was spending the day with mom and take it home and use it up.
I checked everything and nothing was bad or even remotely beginning to be. No. Seriously. I double checked. Despite it being 10 days old, I put it all together into my wok and used it, adding just a bit of teriyaki sauce and garlic powder, and it was absolutely delicious.
For most people 10 days is certainly way past the "deadline." And even for me I will admit it's probably borderline. But when you know, you know, and it would be over my dead body that I'd let food go to waste.
We survived. lol
What went on your table last night? And beyond that, what's the longest you will still consider leftovers okay to eat?
9 people like this
10 responses
@DaddyEvil (158002)
• United States
21h
Ten days out would be too much for me. I've had food poisoning and don't want to go there again. I'm glad you guys were fine, though.
I can't remember what we/I ate for supper last night. I know I ate a handful of Skittles, some Lays Barbecue chips but I'm sure I ate something else, too. It just wasn't memorable. (The bag of Skittles is still on my bed, as is the bag of chips. That's the only way I know I ate some of them. There was also a bowl on my bed with a spoon in it but what I ate, I have no clue.)
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (158002)
• United States
16h
@porwest I normally freeze any leftovers that reach day 3 without being used up... Getting food poisoning once scared the living crap out of me!
2 people like this
@porwest (106361)
• United States
16h
@DaddyEvil Most of the time I will do that too, but not after just 3 days. In this case, the food was at my sister's, so I had less control over what happened to it and when. I just knew she still had it and would probably throw it away.
2 people like this
@porwest (106361)
• United States
17h
Normally ten days would be too long for me too, and 99% of the time leftovers don't even make it that long. It's usually used up somehow long before that. But there are exceptions, of course. But yeah, we survived it. Trust me, had I thought there was anything remotely not right, I'd have bit the bullet and thrown it away.
1 person likes this
@porwest (106361)
• United States
17h
@LooeyVille Okay. You are off the hook. I really WAS going to come over there. At once! lol
1 person likes this
@porwest (106361)
• United States
17h
I don't pay much attention to expiration dates. I know why they are there, and it typically has nothing to do with when something is no longer "fit for consumption." I worked a long time in the food industry. They are mostly "sell by" dates and that's it. I have eaten eggs expired over a month and there's nothing wrong with them.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (482438)
• Italy
21h
Ten days could be too much for chicken, red meats keep well, particularly if brined. I throw nothing, I may discard some bad parts of the vegetables and use what is still good.
I prepared an Italian fish stew for dinner yesterday evening, it's called cacciucco.
1 person likes this
@Traceyjayne (4658)
• United Kingdom
12h
It would be too long for me. But great to hear you all survived it….
1 person likes this
@porwest (106361)
• United States
10h
At some point, you just know what you know and what you can safely get away with. If this had been something else, I may have thought twice. But being that it was Chinese, it's so loaded with salt...
It lasts a lot longer. I did have a stomach pump on order from Amazon for overnight delivery just in case. 
@GardenGerty (165534)
• United States
13h
I think you must be my long lost cousin. Rice is considered "iffy" as a leftover because it can grow nasty organisms quickly.Even so, I would probably have used it. You are making me hungry. I believe the garlic and seasonings help it stay healthy. I try to make sure leftovers get refrigerated quickly and it has not made me sick ever.
@RasmaSandra (88403)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
12h
I have taken to enjoying marinating frozen chicken fingers alread breaded in Italian dressing, It gives them added flavor and then I fry them up in my electirc skillet and have them either with rice which I enjoy boiling in my rice maker with chicken broth or with fried potatoes,
@Marilynda1225 (86004)
• United States
20h
I doubt I would eat food that was 10 days old but since Chinese food is loaded with salt it probably does have a longer shelf life than maybe other foods. Glad you enjoyed it.
I am certainly with you on the NOT wasting food bandwagon. Seeing good food wasted would drive me nuts.
1 person likes this
@porwest (106361)
• United States
19h
It really does depend on what it is. But yes, Chinese food definitely lasts longer. So long as there is no mold and things don't smell bad or anything, I'll use it. Generally speaking, leftovers USUALLY don't even make it past a few days before I use them up. This was a "rare occasion," but I made sure to check and double check and use it all up and I am happy that I did.
Waste not, want not, and even if I didn't pay for this food, I still have no desire to waste it.
@LindaOHio (199057)
• United States
Just now
I go a week with the sandwiches that cousin #2 makes me...no longer. I had a chicken/Muenster sandwich and some tortilla chips.
