How long does spinach last

Keep loose spinach unwashed, in a bag that holds moisture, in the crisper. FoodKeeper prints the shared leaf line, named leaf lettuce and spinach, as 3–7 days. The bold number is three days. The pantry cell is No time is printed for this cell. Wash just before you cook or serve. A leaf that waits wet rots. Do not shut spinach in the same closed drawer as apples or tomatoes. Those give off ethylene, and a leaf wilts. The map of the fridge is in the fridge article.

A bag, while closed, is 3–5 days. The note counts the time after the date printed on the bag. A sooner date on the pack wins. Date types are on the use-by and best-before guide. Once opened, the field prints two days, 2 days. The note on the same product says 3 days. Both are FoodKeeper. The bold number is the shorter one. Baby spinach in a bag is this bag, not a new row. Lettuce uses the same bag lines. The freezer cells are No time is printed for this cell, No time is printed for this cell, and No time is printed for this cell. This page does not turn a vegetable-category ceiling into a spinach month. Frozen spinach is not given a month here. If you are still unsure, the still-safe tool asks from the short end of the chart.

Get perishable food into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking it or bringing it home, and within 1 hour if the kitchen is above 32°C (90°F). USDA FSIS and Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry both publish that cutoff. A closed deep pot stays warm; a shallow box cools.

A chart is a window, not a verdict on the container in your hand. A sour smell, a slimy surface, or mould means it is finished, even on day one. This page is not medical advice.

• A slick, slimy leaf. A little wilt can be dryness; slime is spoilage.
• Yellow that has gone wet and spreads, or a black spot that travels. A pale stem on its own is not the same as a slimy film.
• A sour or swampy smell. Spinach’s own green smell is not that.
• Water pooled in the bag, and mould on a single leaf. Mould moves to the neighbour.

Lifting off a wilted leaf or two, if the rest is still crisp and the smell is ordinary, does not finish the bunch. A slimy layer does.

FoodKeeper prints no freezer time for the leaf line, the unopened bag, or the opened bag: No time is printed for this cell, No time is printed for this cell, No time is printed for this cell. This page does not invent a month for spinach, and it does not turn a vegetable-category ceiling into a spinach month. Frozen spinach sold in a box is not given a month here. USDA says food held continuously at −18°C (0°F) stays safe; that does not mean the leaf’s texture comes back. Greens chopped for soup are not a separate row. No time is pasted onto them.

The thawing note is for foods that have a printed time. Because the spinach freezer cell is empty, this page also does not write a recipe for refreezing thawed spinach. A leaf washed and put away wet is not the advice for spinach that is waiting.

Thaw in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Do not refreeze a portion that has thawed. The ministry states the same rule: thaw frozen food in the fridge and take out only what you will eat.

• Spinach lasts as long as a head of lettuce. The line named leaf lettuce and spinach is 3–7 days. The bold number is three days. A head is a different row, on the lettuce page.
• The days on a bag start when you buy it. An unopened bag is 3–5 days. FoodKeeper’s note counts those days after the date printed on the bag.
• An opened bag has a long window, and the freezer has a spinach month. The field prints 2 days. The note says 3 days. Both are FoodKeeper. The bold number is two days. The freezer is No time is printed for this cell. This page does not turn a vegetable-category ceiling into a spinach month.

The windows assume a generally healthy household. Pregnancy, young children, older age, or a weakened immune system are reasons to keep the shorter figure, to skip raw or undercooked food, and to reheat leftovers until the centre is steaming. USDA’s figure for reheating leftovers is 74°C (165°F).

Heating a slimy or smelling leaf does not bring that bag back. In pregnancy, for young children, in older age, or with a weakened immune system, do not sort a leaf by tasting it. Spinach is not raw meat. A leaf that raw meat juice has touched is still not a salad after a rinse. Rescuing a doubtful bag with soup is not what this page recommends. Frozen spinach is not given a month here either.