People around the world love to eat spicy food; it has rich flavors that entice your taste buds. Spicy food also has lasting benefits, possibly even aiding in having a longer life. So how long does leftover spicy food last in the fridge?
Spicy food can last anywhere between 1 and 7 days in the fridge when stored properly. The length of time spicy food is good in the fridge depends on the type of food and whether or not there is meat in the food. Vegetarian spicy food lasts longer in the fridge than spicy food with meat.
In the rest of this article, I’ll discuss how long certain spicy foods popular in America last in the fridge and how to store each food in the fridge properly. I’ll also explain how to tell if the food is bad.
How Long Does Chili Last in the Fridge?
Chili is an excellent meal for those cold, dreary days of fall and winter or when you are with extended family and friends. You can make large batches easily, meaning there will almost definitely be leftover chili.
Vegetarian chili can last up to 7 days in the fridge, and meat chili can last 3 to 4 days when stored correctly. After this time, your chili will have changes in its flavor and texture. Make sure that you completely reheat your chili before eating it again.
How To Properly Store Chili in the Fridge
Place your cooked chili in airtight containers and in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. The faster you refrigerate your chili, the longer it will last. Bacteria and mold start to grow on cooked food left out at room temperature after the 2-hour marker.
Placing your chili in the fridge quickly is especially important if you live in hot areas, as bacteria grows faster in the heat.
Another tip to prolong your chili’s lifespan is to place leftovers in shallow containers. Your chili will cool faster in shallow containers over deep containers.
How To Tell if Chili Is Bad
There are a couple of ways to tell if your chili has gone bad:
- The chili smells funky or wrong
- The consistency is slimy
Again, how long it takes for your chili to go bad depends on how you store it, how quickly after cooking you store it, and whether or not your chili contains meat.
The most obvious way to tell if chili, or any food, is bad is by smelling the chili. If your chili smells gross or funky, it is most likely bad. However, it may have gone bad without any changes in smell, so don’t rely solely on its smell to determine the quality of your chili.
Another way to know that chili is bad is by looking at its consistency. If the chili looks or feels slimy, it’s definitely not safe for consumption.
Whether or not your chili smells funky or the consistency is slimy, if your chili was made over four days ago for meat and seven days for vegetarian, don’t eat it.
How Long Does Curry Last in the Fridge?
Originating in 16th-century India, curry is often made with chicken or lamb in conjunction with a specific curry sauce. There are many different types of curry, differentiated by how the spices in the curry are mixed.
Curry doesn’t last long in the fridge, lasting a max of 2 to 3 days, based on the type of curry and whether or not it is vegetarian. Due to the ingredients in curry, it decays quickly at room temperature. While curries can last 2 to 3 days, try to eat leftover curry the day after it’s cooked.
How To Properly Store Curry in the Fridge
Like chili, curry should be stored in airtight containers. To save space, you could also use vacuum-packed storage bags, as these will keep your curry fresh longer than jars or containers.
No matter how you store your curry, attempt to refrigerate it within an hour to 2 hours, absolute max. Many curries have cooked tomatoes, butter, or ghee, which exacerbates the speed at which curry goes bad.
Here’s a table from Foods Guy to give an idea of how long popular curry dishes last in the fridge and how long they should be left out at room temperature:
| Type of Curry | Refrigerator (40℉/4.4℃) | Room Temperature (68-72℉/20-22℃) |
| Butter Chicken | 2 days | 1 hour |
| Chicken Vindaloo | Up to 3 days | 1 hour |
| Tikka Masala | Up to 3 days | 2 hours |
| Korma | 2 days | 1 hour |
| Saag | 2 days | 2 hours |
How To Tell if Curry Is Bad
Like chili, common ways to tell if curry is bad are smelling it and checking its consistency. You can also check for froth or foaming of the sauce, discoloration, or mold to ensure the curry is still good or if it went bad.
When your curry is old, a thick foam or froth may form on the surface, starting from the edges and moving toward the center of the dish as it ages. This foam is a blaring red light that your curry is old unless you used baking soda or baking powder when cooking it. If you used baking soda or baking powder, foam or froth might form as your curry sits.
Another sure sign that your curry has gone bad is if you see any mold or discoloration on it. If you see any mold, dump it out immediately, don’t try to eat around the mold!
How Long Do Hot Wings Last in the Fridge?
Hot wings are a classic American favorite. Often synonymous with buffalo wings, hot wings are chicken wings that have been deep-fried, but not breaded, and tossed in sauce. Hot wings differ from buffalo wings, though, in that they are spicier and are generally not served with blue cheese dressing and celery.
Fresh hot wings last up to 4 days in the refrigerator. However, if the chicken is old, your hot wings will not last as long in the fridge. To maximize the time before they go bad, refrigerate the hot wings as soon as possible and place them in the coldest part of the fridge.
How To Properly Store Hot Wings in the Fridge
Just like chili and curry, store your leftover hot wings in airtight containers in the fridge. Make sure that these containers are fully closed, too, because food deteriorates faster when exposed to oxygen.
You could try to make your hot wings last longer in the fridge by wrapping them in aluminum foil before placing them in an airtight container. This adds another layer of protection for the hot wings. Also, the sauce from the wings is less likely to smear everywhere in the container when the hot wings are wrapped in aluminum foil.
How To Tell if Hot Wings Are Bad
There are a few ways to tell if your hot wings have gone bad, all of which I’ve previously discussed. When hot wings have gone bad, they will likely have one or more of these signs:
- Mold on the wings
- A pungent or funky smell
- A slimy texture
Remember, your hot wings may have gone bad and not have any signs.
Be extra careful with eating leftover hot wings because old and moldy chicken may give you food poisoning from the bacteria Salmonella. Heating up bad chicken only kills the bacteria on the surface, not the bacteria that seeped into the meat itself.
Conclusion
Overall, spicy foods can last in the fridge for between 1 and 7 days. The exact length of time a spicy food can stay in the fridge without going bad depends on what the dish is, vegetarian or meat-based, what spices are in the dish, and if there are any other ingredients that may speed up decomposition.
Always store leftover spicy food in airtight containers before setting them in the fridge. Spicy food is often bad when it smells weird, is slimy to the touch, and/or is moldy.
Sources
- The Whole Portion: How long does chili last in the fridge (+5 shelf tips)
- Eat Delights: How Long Does Chili Last? Does Chili Go Bad?
- Foods Guy: How Long Does Curry Last in The Fridge?
- Prepared Cooks: How Long Do Cooked Chicken Wings Last in the Fridge?
- The Whole Portion: How long do chicken wings last in the fridge? (+3 Ways to tell)
