How Long Do French Fries Last in the Fridge?

How Long Do French Fries Last in the Fridge?

French fries are one of the most popular food dishes. If you haven’t tried them, you are missing out!

Most french fry-lovers are usually faced with a dilemma; the struggle to eat their leftover fries or throw them away. Instead of doing any of the actions mentioned above, keeping your fries in the fridge would be a better alternative. 

How long do french fries last in the fridge? French fries will remain edible and even maintain their freshness in the fridge, but only for 3 to 5 days. The quality of your fries and the amount of time they can spend in the fridge are highly dependent on factors such as storage method and packaging.

If you place your french fries in the freezer instead of the fridge, you must cook them immediately after thawing. The freezer isn’t a great option compared to the fridge because when frozen fries thaw, they release a lot of moisture, significantly impacting the texture of your fries. 

When your fries leave the freezer, their shelf life will be significantly reduced compared to when you take them out of the fridge.

How Long Do French Fries Last at Room Temperature?

If your room temperature is above 40°F, you should not keep your fries on the kitchen counter for longer than 2 hours. The maximum safe time for your french fries at room temperature is 2 hours. 

Other than being cold, your french fries will still look edible if kept for longer than 2 hours at room temperature, but you won’t see the bacteria that may be presently resting on them.

French fries attract bacterial growth very quickly. Your french fries can be affected by various factors at room temperature, and that 2-hour safe period can be shortened. If you store your french fries in a sealed container, the temperature will rise rapidly, causing humidity and moisture that will create the perfect environment for bacteria to grow faster. 

Leaving french fries at room temperature can also cause them to lose that signature crisp that we all love. It can lose its texture and structure, becoming soggy and chewy; the feeling might be unpleasant when you try eating them.

How to Tell if French Fries Have Gone Bad

French Fries have a shelf life of 5 days maximum in the fridge. In the freezer, they can be preserved for up to a year. But like every other food, they can go bad. 

Don’t worry; it is quite easy to tell if your french fries are still okay to eat. All you need is your sense of sight and smell. 

Appearance

If your french fries look weird, don’t eat them. If you look closer and notice severe discoloration or mold, you should throw them out immediately. To be frank, french fries are best eaten as soon as you are done making them. 

French fries are not the kind of food you can let sit around for too long. They are so easy to make, so you can make them in small batches instead of making a whole bunch, and letting them go bad.

Smell

French fries that have gone bad will give off an offensive, pungent odor. If they smell other than what french fries are supposed to smell like. Don’t give it a second thought; just chuck them into the waste bin. 

Throwing french fries away might hurt, but it is a better alternative compared to eating spoiled food. If your french fries show any indication of going bad, throw them out. Food poisoning can affect general well-being adversely.

How to Store Your French Fries to Last Longer in the Fridge

Did you know that you can get food poisoning from french fries? The potatoes used in making them contain a nerve toxin called Solanine that can cause vomiting, headaches, diarrhea, and even paralysis if consumed in high doses. 

So, if you have a large batch of fries, you need to keep some in the fridge to avoid overeating. Your french fries will last for 3 to 5 days in the fridge, but if you are not intentional about how you keep them in the fridge, they might not last that long. 

Here are some tips to help your fries last longer in the fridge.

Temperature

There is no unique technique to this. It is quite simple. The lower the temperature at which you store your french fries, the longer they last. This means, if you have a good fridge, keep them in the deep part of the fridge. 

Avoid those storage points in the fridge door where the temperature rapidly changes as the fridge door is opened and closed. At temperatures below 40 °F, your french fries should be okay.

If you want to further extend the shelf life of french fries, freezing would be a great option. Theoretically, if frozen at 0 °F, they shouldn’t go bad. But your fries could get freezer burn, and their quality will begin to degrade. 

Frozen french fries can be transferred to the fridge to thaw slowly and be kept for 3 to 5 days before going bad. But, frozen french fries that are thawed in a bowl of water or in the microwave should be eaten immediately.

Final Thoughts

French fries are not the healthiest snack out there, but as humans, we all love to indulge once in a while and deviate from that healthy green diet. 

Eat your french fries moderately, and use the fridge to postpone eating them to the third, fourth, or fifth day if you think you’ve had enough already.