Handling leftover food

Display titles and publisher names are translated or transliterated by TCM Compass where needed. Original information is retained separately below.

Publisher / author
Centre for Food Safety, Hong Kong
Source language
Traditional Chinese
Actually accessed
2026-11-04
Published date
Not confirmed
Material type
Institutional food education
Access status
Actually accessed
What this source cannot establish
General cooked-food guidance. Does not make poorly soaked fungi safe.

Supports: shallow portions · refrigeration within two hours · discard after three days · one reheat

Original source information

Bibliographic wording is preserved below for checking against the original source.

Original title
處理剩餘食物
Original publisher / author
香港食物安全中心
Original source language code
zh-Hant
Original material type
institutional food education
Original supported topics
shallow portions · refrigeration within two hours · discard after three days · one reheat
Original access status
accessible
Recorded access date
2026-11-04
Recorded publication date
—
Original review notes
General cooked-food guidance. Does not make poorly soaked fungi safe.
Read the original source ↗

How this reference is used here

These are our published explanations that cite this source. Each link opens the relevant section; this does not mean the publisher endorses the article.

Chi xiao dou & adzuki: reading the names · Keeping dry, fresh and cooked forms

Store uncooked dry food beans in a sealed container in a cool dry dark place. Once made into red-bean soup or paste, refrigerate promptly as cooked food; it is not made shelf-stable by adding sugar. The botanical naming issue remains separate from food storage.

Chi xiao dou & adzuki: reading the names · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Black sesame · Keeping dry, fresh and cooked forms

Keep dry seeds and powder protected from moisture; close the package promptly. A wet sesame dessert or a paste with added water needs cooked-food refrigeration. Follow the manufacturer’s after-opening instructions for commercial paste rather than borrowing oil-storage claims.

Black sesame · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Chenpi · Dried mature citrus peel · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Chinese yam · Shan yao · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Food-grade chrysanthemum · Soaking: when it is needed

Brewing is the soaking step for this beverage. There is no verified need for a separate overnight cold soak in the cited example; prepare a fresh drink and do not use long room-temperature soaking as a storage method.

Food-grade chrysanthemum · Keeping dry, fresh and cooked forms

Keep unused dry food flowers labelled, dry and away from pests. Prepare only the drink you need; a brewed drink no longer shares the unopened dry packet’s storage conditions. For keeping a prepared batch, apply prompt cooling and refrigeration rather than leaving it out overnight.

Food-grade chrysanthemum · What to check before brewing a cup

Begin with the food packet, not a garden flower: check that it is supplied for drinking and whether it is plain flower heads or a mixed beverage. For a blend, read every ingredient; this page’s information about chrysanthemum does not describe all the other contents. Then follow that food product’s preparation directions. The cited water temperature is one brewing example and supplies neither a universal steep time nor a method to make an ornamental flower suitable for drinking.

Food-grade chrysanthemum · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Ginger · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Goji berries · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Jujube · Red dates · Keeping dry, fresh and cooked forms

UC Davis discusses fresh and dried fruit under different storage conditions; those commercial conditions do not create one home expiry date. Keep the dry packet under its label conditions and freshly prepared paste refrigerated as cooked food, not as a shelf-stable preserve.

Jujube · Red dates · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Edible lily bulbs · Keeping dry, fresh and cooked forms

Keep dry scales protected from moisture with their original food label. Fresh scales are fresh produce, not a shelf-stable dry herb. After washing or soaking, prepare only what you can cook promptly; refrigerate the finished dish by the leftovers rule.

Edible lily bulbs · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Lotus seeds · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Mung beans · Keeping dry, fresh and cooked forms

Keep uncooked beans sealed in a cool, dark, dry place, as CSU recommends. After cooking, use shallow portions and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below; use within three days. A packet of sprouts needs separate cold-chain and cooking guidance, not the dry-bean rule.

Mung beans · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.

Snow fungus · White fungus · Keeping dry, fresh and cooked forms

Keep unused dry fungus dry and protected from moisture. Once wet it is no longer a pantry product: use promptly, refrigerate if it must wait, and discard abnormal material. Store a cooked dessert by the leftovers rule, not by the unopened packet date.

Snow fungus · White fungus · Cooked-food safety: a separate clock

For cooked soup, porridge or beans, divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within two hours at 4°C (40°F) or below. Use within three days; reheat thoroughly once. This is general cooked-food guidance, not the shelf life of the dry packet.