How Long Does Sloppy Joe Last In The Fridge?
The fridge is a nice place for storing food items for a short period of time. You might be refrigerating a lot of leftover food, right? Likely, when you cook sloppy joes, you might also be storing them in the fridge.
Sloppy joes can last in the fridge for about 3-4 days. Post that you will start noticing some alterations in the food. For better refrigerator storage, seal the food in airtight containers before storing them. This way you can enjoy your sloppy joes for up to 4 days.
What Happens To Sloppy Joe After 4 Days?
After 4 days in the fridge, the sloppy joes will likely lose their texture and flavor. It might also happen that due to unnecessary air exposure in the fridge, the food has developed a smell. All of these factors will make the dish unfit for consumption.
The longer you keep sloppy joes in the fridge, it will lose freshness and quality. The flavor will alter as a result and there are chances that the food might also spoil. Therefore, it is best that you consume refrigerated sloppy joes as soon as possible to get the maximum out of it.
How Can You Store The Sloppy Joe For Longer?
The refrigerator is a good place for storing your sloppy joe if you wish to finish the dish within 3-4 days. But if you want to store the recipe for longer, I would suggest you freeze it. Freezing is one of the best food preservation techniques that can be done easily at home.
Freezing should be done carefully, otherwise, the sloppy joes can also spoil in the process. You can also freeze leftover sloppy joes, or make extra and store them for later use. I have a detailed section for freezing sloppy joes. Read till the end of this article to find out!
How To Freeze Sloppy Joe?
Freezing sloppy joe can be done effectively at your home. All you need is proper equipment and a step-by-step guide to store them for longer. Remember freezing is a crucial step and should be followed carefully.
Check out the following steps to freeze your sloppy joes:
- Prepare your sloppy joe, and let the dish cool completely at room temperature. Leave the recipe undisturbed at the counter until it has cooled down properly.
- Once the sloppy joes are cool, wrap them adequately in cling film. If you have large quantities, wrap them in smaller portions. Use multiple layers if needed.
- Once it is done, transfer the wrapped sloppy joes into airtight containers and seal them. This will provide better protection against freezer burns or any strong smell in the freezer.
- Label and date the containers with accurate information, and stack them inside the freezer carefully. And your sloppy joes are ready to freeze.
Note: While cooling the sloppy joes, do not leave them at room temperature for long. They might get acted upon by bacteria, and do not freeze well. Therefore, freeze them immediately after cooling.
How Long Can You Freeze Sloppy Joe?
You can freeze sloppy joes for about 6 months in the freezer. That is quite a long shelf life for the meat dish, isn’t it? However, for the dish to maintain its texture and quality for such a long time in the freezer, you need to pack it adequately.
Sometimes, the sloppy joe might stay longer than six months. This is because the dish had been wrapped sufficiently and there was no air contamination while preparing sloppy joes for freezing. It is still advised to check the dish before consumption.
How To Defrost Sloppy Joe?
Frozen sloppy joes need time to be defrosted sufficiently. While a majority of frozen food items can be defrosted within a minimum of 8 hours, sloppy joe needs about 24-48 hours for defrosting. This is because, if not defrosted properly, sloppy joes will lose their texture.
Therefore, it is best to let the food thaw slowly and gradually. To defrost sloppy joes, all you have to do is remove the packages from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator for defrosting. Do not unpack them, just place them unopened in the refrigerator.
How To Reheat Sloppy Joe?
Reheating could be the easiest job when discussing sloppy joes. This is because it takes less time than freezing and defrosting the meat recipe. Sloppy joes can be reheated using three methods- in the microwave, on the stovetop, or in your slow cooker.
However, before reheating, make sure that the frozen sloppy joe has defrosted sufficiently. Otherwise, the flavor and texture of the recipe will be affected upon reheating. Also, make sure while reheating the recipe, you keep a check on the temperature. So that you do not overheat it.
For microwave reheating, simply transfer the frozen sloppy joe to a microwave-safe bowl, and heat it for about 20-30 minutes. The stovetop or the slow cooker processes will take a little longer time but can be done on low-medium heat.
