Food. We all love it. Many times, we prepare more food than required or order more food than we actually need. The our savior, we have refrigerator. But is it safe to keep your leftovers in the fridge? How long must you wait before you put your food in the fridge? Or, how many times can you reheat your food? Today, we will answer all your questions. These are some of the ways you can deal with your leftovers, ensuring that it stays safe even when you eat it again. When Should You Refrigerate Your Leftovers?The bacteria that causes food poisoning grows quickly, especially when it is at room temperature. The best way to make sure that your food does not go bad is to put it in fridge within 2 hours after it has been cooked or taken off the heat. If it is really hot outside, like it is during the peak summers, it is best that you put your food in the fridge in 1 hour of having it prepared. Should You Cool Your Hot Foods Before Putting It In Your Fridge?Not really. You actually do not need to wait until the leftovers are room temperature. In fact, you can put the hot foods directly into the fridge. When you have a large amount of food, especially in a pot, it may take a lot of time to bring it back to the room temperature. What you can do is, put them in leak-proof container and then put the container in a bowl of water to cool it down quickly. However, the only reason one waits for food to cool down a bit before putting it in the fridge is so the temperature does not affect the pot, leading it to breaking it. But as long as food is your concern, it does not go bad. What Should Be Your Fridge's Temperature?More than a third of Americans have too-warm refrigerators. This can lead to bacteria growth. What you must make sure is that your fridge is set to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. The freezer should be at 0 Fahrenheit or below. Leftovers: Until When Are They Safe?Most of us think that leftovers are safe until they start to smell. While it is true that if your food smells, you must immediately throw it out. However, why the wait? What you must do is, if your food is waiting in your fridge for 3 to 4 days, even if it is not smelling, you must still take it out. The best way to protect your food is to always seal it in leak-proof and airtight containers. Eating cold leftovers, especially cold pizza is fun, but it is not safe for you. To be safe, it is best that you avoid eating cold food, and reheat it at least up to 165 Fahrenheit. If you have frozen food and you want to thaw it, avoid using hot water on it. It can actually make the bacteria grow much faster. What can you do instead? It is a three-step process. Start with shifting your food from freezer to the fridge, then put it in cold or room temperature water and then microwave it. Another thing that most of us do is to reheat our food in a slow cooker. This means that your food stays between 40 to 140 Fahrenheit for too long. Instead, what you can do is microwave it, or bake it. Do not worry, you can always freeze your leftover food more than once. However, what you must make sure is that every time you deal with your leftover food, you follow the process that keeps your food and your health safe.