For those who enjoy eating at Taco Bell, it can be a great easy fix for lunch or dinner.
However, sometimes when there are specials running, and you get a bit more food on your plate than you expected, you may think that you need to put the leftovers in the fridge for another time.
This is not a bad idea, and it certainly is better than wasting food.
The problem is that you might forget that you have left this Taco Bell food in the fridge.
What happens if a few days go by and you still have that food in there, is it still good to eat?
Here are some general guidelines that you should follow about how long Taco Bell leftovers are good for.
When consuming this food, you must consider your own risk.
Only you know how the food was put away and if it was properly packaged before you put it in the fridge.
How Long Is Taco Bell Good For?
On average, Taco Bell food is good for about two days after you purchased your original meal.
Of course, there are some guidelines that are going to impact this number significantly.
For instance, if you left your Taco Bell meal out on the table for four hours before you decided to put it in the fridge, you can expect that the food will not last very long.
If you purchased your Taco Bell food while you were out and you never even opened it and instead put it directly in the fridge, it is likely going to be good for a few days.
The problem with Taco Bell fast food is that there are a number of different ingredients in the food.
One of the things that tend to go bad the fastest is the lettuce.
Lettuce that is a few days old and has been rolled up in a taco is typically really poor tasting.
In addition, when you try and heat your taco up and the lettuce is still on there, it becomes a bit unappealing.
Lettuce is absolutely one of those things that should be eaten when it is fresh.
If you are purchasing Taco Bell to eat at a later date, you may want to consider leaving the lettuce behind.
In addition, you may find that keeping the lettuce off helps the entire meal maintain a fresher taste for a few extra days.
There are a few other factors that you should always consider before you decide if your food is safe to eat.
Although time is one indicator to consider, it is not the only way that you will know if your Taco Bell or any fast food is still good to eat.
How To Tell If Fast Food Is Still Good
Most of the time, fast food is designed to be eaten immediately.
The concept is to purchase the food hot from a source that prepares the food quickly and ready to eat.
As you will notice, the packaging that the food is served in is really designed for people who are looking to eat it right away.
If you look at the way a sandwich is wrapped, for instance, it is undoubtedly a temporary wrapping, not something designed to hold up for a long time.
Therefore, whenever you have the chance, you should really consider trying to eat your fast food as quickly as you can.
If you cannot, here are a few ways to make sure that it is still good.
1. Color
Chances are you know what the color of a piece of food should be.
If you look down at your fast food and something seems off about the color, do not eat it.
The color will sometimes look white, green, or even a bit blue.
This could mean that there is mold starting to grow on the food.
In addition, sometimes, you will notice that meat has started to fade in color, and this is again a sign that it is likely not a good idea to eat it.
If you have eaten fast food, you will quickly notice whether it is safe to eat or not by the coloration.
This is one of the most obvious signs that something is wrong.
2. Smell
The second most obvious sign is the smell of the food.
The smell of food is something that we should not ignore.
Not only should you learn how to smell your fast food to see if it is good, but this is a good skill to have for all types of food you may have in your refrigerator.
Make it a habit to learn what good food smells like.
As soon as you learn this, you can quickly determine if something is starting to turn and is no longer safe to eat.
Sometimes you will be able to smell the food turning bad before it even starts to look bad.
Save your stomach the trouble and learn to put your nose to work.
3. Number Of Days
We mentioned that we would trust Taco Bell for about two to three days in the refrigerator.
If your fast food is getting close to a week from the time that you purchased it, you are really starting to get a bit risky.
Most of the time, homemade food will keep for about five days in the refrigerator.
Although some people push it further than this, it’s not a good idea because there could be issues that you cannot see in the food.
The number of days to eat your fast food should be less than three.
If you can’t finish it for the meal that you have purchased it for, try to consume it the next day.
The sooner you get back to it, the safer it is, and you can be sure that you are not wasting any food.
4. Storage Method
It’s important to keep in mind how the food was stored.
Did you have Taco Bell for dinner and fall asleep with the leftovers on the table?
This is a problem, and that food should not be eaten.
Taco Bell has ingredients like milk, cheese, and meat, all things that cannot be left out for long periods of time.
The storage method of the food that is leftover will determine how long it can be eaten for.
Typically speaking, if you get the fast food into the fridge within an hour or so after purchasing it, it should be safe for those two or three days.
However, the longer you have left the food out, the faster you are going to notice its deterioration.
Practicing proper food safety habits will help to ensure that you keep yourself and your family safe from food poisoning.
If food has gone bad, sometimes your body is able to process it, but most of the time, you will get very sick.
There are times when eating the wrong food could have you in the hospital for days.
Is It Safe To Reheat Taco Bell?
Now that you have a better idea of how long your Taco Bell will last, you may be starting to wonder about the process of heating the Taco Bell up.
For some people, eating the leftovers cold right from the refrigerator is going to taste the best.
If you do decide to microwave your Taco Bell, be sure to remove the lettuce.
In addition, make sure that you are only microwaving it on a microwave safe plate and that you are not microwaving in plastic or paper.
These materials can melt or contaminate your food.
One of the more difficult things to heat up from Taco Bell is the nachos.
The truth is, you will never get those nachos to taste right after they have been reheated.
If you don’t consume the nachos soon after purchasing them, be prepared that they are not going to taste very good.
It’s hard to get the chips to be crunchy again, and therefore the entire thing becomes really mushy.
Can You Freeze A Taco Bell Burrito?
If you don’t already know this, food that is put in the freezer is going to last much longer than food that is kept in the fridge.
The cooling properties of the freezer help to cool the food down and keep it in a state where bacteria and mold cannot grow.
Of course, things that are stored in the freezer are also going to have a shelf life that must be considered, but it can be months as opposed to days.
One interesting thing that people will do is freeze a Taco Bell burrito for use at a later time.
We really like this method for those who have found a great sale going on at Taco Bell.
Maybe you got a coupon that is saving you a tremendous amount of money, but you couldn’t possibly eat all the food that comes along with the meal.
This is the perfect time to use the freezing method with your Taco Bell food.
We would recommend storing the burrito in the freezer as soon as you get home from the fast-food establishment.
There is no reason to keep the food out for a few days in the refrigerator, as you will lose some of its freshness.
Instead, take the food you are not going to eat immediately and put it right in the freezer.
Some ingredients are going to freeze better than others.
You may take a quick look at a list of foods that freeze well before placing your order.
For instance, lettuce does not freeze well, so you may want to skip that.
When you put your food in the freezer, it is essential to use a freezer-safe bag or container.
Trying to freeze the food in the original Taco Bell packaging is not going to protect it from freezer burn.
In addition, the packaging could rip, and you will be left with a mess in your freezer.
When it comes time to eat the Taco Bell food, you can take it out of the freezer, let it thaw and then heat it up.
If you steered clear of the fresh ingredients because you knew you were going to freeze the food, you could always add them back in when you consume the burrito.
Conclusion
As you can see, the time that you have to eat your Taco Bell food is going to vary quite a bit depending on how you took care of the food.
If you stored it in the freezer right after purchasing, you could have months to consume it.
However, for those who have simply placed it on the counter expecting to eat it the next day, you will likely get quite sick.
It’s really not worth consuming food unless you can be confident that it is still good to eat.
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