BBC expert gives 'rule' on how long you can keep takeaway leftovers

BBC expert gives 'rule' on how long you can keep takeaway leftoversMany people will look at a curry or pizza in the fridge and wondered if it's OK to still eat - BBC Morning Live viewers were given the lowdown by a DrCommentsTVBen Hurst01:41, 16 Apr 2026View ImageDr Xand van Tulleken said people should definitely not eat warmed up takeaways after a certain point(Image: BBC)A BBC expert has explained exactly how long people can keep leftovers in their fridge. Dr Xand van Tulleken was appearing on BBC Morning Live and give a key answer to anyone looking at a curry, pizza or Chinese takeaway a few days later and wondering if it’s ok to still tuck in.‌On a section about the dangers of fridges, Dr Xand asked the show’s guests and presenters whether they would eat the food. He said: “Talk about you’ve ordered a takeaway. It’s been in the fridge for a couple of days. Only a couple of days. Looks fine, smells fine. Would you eat it?”‌Most said yes and he revealed the deadline - or face potentially food poisoning. He said: “Two days is max for leftovers. Okay. So, I would say at the end of two days, I would be saying ditch it.”‌Host Helen Skelton added: “Chinese is better the day after isn’t it?” Dr Xand said one risk was forgetting when you ordered it: “It’s easy to forget. We think, ‘Oh, well, it’s only Wednesday. We had that on the weekend.’” Some people think the ‘sniff test’ is enough to ensure that milk is OK, even beyond the use by date.However, Dr Xand had a different view: “Milk is the milk is the next one. It’s 2 days past the use by date. It smells fine. Absolutely fine. We’ve all had experience of this, but the thing that you’ve got to be careful of is that milk can grow bugs that do not smell. And so again, I would say ditch it a couple of days afterwards.“And this milk in the door and relaxed about milk after a couple of days. I would be very careful about. You don’t want to be getting poorly, particularly if you have vulnerable people around. We...