Health Tip: Preparing Leftovers

Taking food home from a restaurant or storing the excess from last night's dinner isn't worth it if the food makes you sick.

The Foodsafety.gov website offers these guidelines for safe preparation of leftovers:

• Keep leftovers in shallow storage containers.
• If freezing, do so within two hours of cooking.
• Eat all refrigerated leftovers within four days, or throw them out.
• Eat frozen leftovers within four months.
• Make sure all leftovers are thoroughly reheated before eating.