Have you ever put a sandwich in the fridge, left it for a few days, and then poked it doubtfully?
If you’re left wondering whether your leftover lunch is likely to be okay several days later, you aren’t alone, because many people feel unsure about eating sandwiches that have been kept in the fridge.
How Long Will a Sandwich Last For in the Fridge?
A sandwich that has been placed in the fridge promptly should last for three or four days, depending on what is in the sandwich. Sandwiches that contain long-lasting, dry ingredients such as pickle and cheese will often fare better than sandwiches with fish or meat.
You should assess your sandwich from the perspective of the ingredients as well as the bread. Think about everything you have used and how long that product would last for in the fridge if it was stored separately.
This will help you to determine whether anything in your sandwich needs to be used up quickly. If it does, the sandwich also needs to be used up quickly. Bacteria that grow in the ingredient with the short shelf life will very quickly spread into the rest of the sandwich, rendering the whole thing inedible if it is left for too long.
Note that the three to four day estimate refers to how long the sandwich is safe to eat for in terms of bacteria and mold. A sandwich that has been left in the fridge for four days will often be a little soggy and mushy. It is still safe to eat, but may not taste as good.
Is It Ok to Eat a 3 Day Old Sandwich?
Think about the sandwich’s look, smell, texture, and taste when you’re assessing it, with taste being the last (you may not need to taste it if any of the other signs are clear enough).
First, inspect the outside of the sandwich for any visible signs of mold.
As said before, a 3 day old sandwich should be still ok, if it was stored in the fridge.
Small blue or white flecks on the bread will show you should not eat the sandwich. If any of the fillings have gone moldy, the sandwich should be discarded.
If it looks okay, smell it. Bread often takes on a slightly sweet smell when it is past its best. Your ingredients may also smell off. Equally, if the sandwich has gone slimy or very squishy, it is no longer any good.
Next, you can taste a small piece of the sandwich. If it tastes okay as well as smelling, looking, and feeling okay, it’s probably fine to eat. However, if you’re unsure, it’s better to throw it away, especially if it contains meat or fish.
Whenever you’re in doubt about a sandwich, you should inspect it carefully before you get it out to eat. Because sandwiches are generally eaten cold, you can’t rely on the heating process to get rid of any excess bacteria in the food, so it’s extra important to make sure it is safe using all of your senses.
Sandwich Shelf Life
In general, putting a sandwich together won’t change the lifespan of the shortest lived ingredient, because you aren’t altering its state much.
If, for example, you put ham in a sandwich, you haven’t noticeably changed the ham in any way by removing it from its packet and placing it between two slices of bread.
However, this isn’t a completely simple rule. For example, when you grate a carrot for a sandwich, you’re removing the protective skin that blocks mold, and this may make it rot more quickly. When you slice cheese, you expose it to more air, which could make it harden faster.
Pickles should last well, but may be affected by other ingredients in the sandwich, which could shorten their life expectancy too.
You also expose the ingredients to dampness if you use any spread on your bread, as well as condensation from the fridge.
In general, it is best to leave sandwich ingredients unassembled until you want to eat them. However, a finished sandwich should not have a significantly shorter lifespan than most of the ingredients that are used for sandwiches.
Can You Freeze Sandwiches?
If you have made extra sandwiches, you can freeze them unless the filling is not suitable for freezing. Bread and butter will be fine in the freezer, and most fillings will be fine too.
Some fillings, such as egg mayo, may suffer a bit in terms of their texture if they are frozen. Eggs don’t freeze brilliantly well, so egg sandwiches may go a little chewy and rubbery. However, they will still be safe to eat.
It is important to observe food hygiene rules when freezing sandwiches. If you have defrosted meat and used it for a sandwich without reheating it, you can safely refreeze it once, but you shouldn’t do so a second time.
Be cautious about handling meat sandwiches and make sure you defrost them safely.
Put It In The Fridge
If you want to store sandwiches in the fridge, try to minimize the water content.
Dry your salad leaves before placing them in the sandwich, and leave out sauces (they can be added later). Lightly butter the bread to create a water-resistant barrier between the fillings and the bread.
You can also stack your fillings so that the wet ones are in the middle, and drier ones are on the outside, forming a barrier against the bread. This reduces the sogginess and makes the sandwiches last better.
Final Thoughts
Sandwiches that are kept in the fridge should remain edible for up to four days, depending on the fillings and the freshness of the bread.
If you need to keep them for longer than this, consider freezing them, or assembling them from the fresh ingredients when you need them.