How long do ready-made meals last, and how do you reheat them safely?

The short answer: treat ready-made meals like any other cooked, perishable food. Put them in a fridge running at 5°C or colder as soon as they arrive, eat them within the time on the label or the timeframe the kitchen gives you (a few days at most for home-style cooked food), and reheat each meal until it is steaming hot all the way through. If a meal has sat out of the fridge for more than four hours, throw it away.

We cook our ready-made meals fresh each week, chill them and deliver them ready to heat, so most of the food safety work is already done by the time they reach your door. The last stretch, from your doorstep to your plate, is in your hands. Here is what Australia’s food regulator and SA Health recommend, in plain English.

Step 1: get them into the fridge quickly

Food poisoning bacteria grow fastest in what Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) calls the ‘temperature danger zone’ of 5–60°C. FSANZ advises keeping perishable food refrigerated at 5°C or colder (FSANZ: Food safety basics).

• Unpack chilled meals first. Before the shopping, before the kettle.
• Check your fridge is actually cold. SA Health recommends using a fridge thermometer to confirm it’s at 5°C or colder (SA Health: Shopping and storing food at home). A packed fridge on a hot Barossa afternoon can run warmer than you think.
• Keep them away from raw meat. Store ready-to-eat food above or apart from raw meat and poultry so juices can’t drip onto it.
• Won’t be home? Use the notes box on the order form to tell us your preferred delivery day, so meals aren’t sitting on a warm doorstep.

The 2-hour/4-hour rule (for any food that’s been left out)

FSANZ gives a simple rule for cooked or perishable food that has been at room temperature (FSANZ):

SA Health explains why the four-hour mark matters: some bacteria produce toxins that reheating won’t destroy, so a meal that has been out too long can’t be ‘fixed’ in the microwave (SA Health: Thawing, cooking, cooling and reheating food).

How long do ready-made meals last in the fridge?

For home-style cooked meals, FSANZ’s general guidance is to keep perishable leftovers in the fridge and use them up within a few days (FSANZ). If a meal carries a use-by date, that date is the limit: FSANZ is clear that food shouldn’t be eaten after its use-by date. A best-before date is about quality rather than safety (FSANZ: Use-by and best-before dates).

Not sure how long a particular week’s meals will keep? Ask us when you order or call the kitchen on 0406 288 148. The practical habit that works for most households is simple: eat the meals with the shortest life first, and freeze anything you know you won’t get to.

If someone in your house is pregnant, elderly or unwell

FSANZ lists pregnant women, newborn babies, older people and people with weakened immune systems as being at higher risk from food poisoning. For these groups it advises that freshly prepared food is safest, that cooked meat and chicken leftovers be kept in the fridge and eaten within a day, and that leftovers be reheated until steaming hot (FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people). If you’re ordering for someone in one of these groups, plan to eat their meals early in the week.

Can you freeze ready-made meals?

Freezing is the easiest way to stretch a bundle. SA Health advises freezing food straight away if you don’t intend to use it before its use-by date, because freezing greatly extends how long it keeps (SA Health). Two tips make a big difference:

• Freeze early, not on the last day. Freezing pauses the clock; it doesn’t reset it. A meal frozen the day it arrives will be in far better shape than one frozen on its final day.
• Thaw in the fridge or microwave, never on the bench. Both FSANZ and SA Health warn against thawing at room temperature, because the outside of the food warms into the danger zone while the middle is still frozen (SA Health).

Some dishes freeze better than others. Rich sauces, curries and mince dishes usually hold up well, while things like crisp vegetables can soften. Not sure which of this week’s meals will freeze well? Ask the kitchen when you order.

How to reheat ready-made meals properly

SA Health’s advice is to heat food to steaming hot, which kills bacteria that may have grown while it was in the fridge (SA Health). The Food Safety Information Council puts a number on it: serve hot food steaming hot, above 60°C (Food Safety Information Council).

• Microwave: loosen the lid or move the meal to a microwave-safe dish, then stir and rotate partway through. SA Health notes that microwaves heat unevenly and leave cold spots, and that food keeps cooking during the standing time, so let it stand before checking it’s hot in the middle.
• Oven or stovetop: great for tray bakes, pies and anything you want a little crisp. Cover to stop it drying out and heat until it’s steaming right through.
• Check the centre, not the edges. A probe thermometer takes out the guesswork. If you don’t have one, cut into the thickest part and make sure it’s steaming.
• Heat only what you’ll eat. Reheat one portion at a time rather than warming a whole container and putting the rest back.

A quick checklist for delivery day

1. Chilled meals into the fridge (5°C or colder) as soon as they arrive.
2. Sort them: shortest life at the front, anything you won’t reach into the freezer today.
3. Thaw frozen meals in the fridge overnight, or in the microwave.
4. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, stirring as you go.
5. Anything left out for more than four hours goes in the bin.

This week’s meals, bundle sizes and delivery details are all on our order page, and our guide to ready-made meals vs frozen meals and meal kits explains how the service works.

Questions we get asked

How long do ready-made meals last in the fridge?

Keep them in a fridge at 5°C or colder and eat them by any use-by date on the label. FSANZ’s general advice for cooked, perishable food is to use it within a few days, and within a day for cooked meat and chicken if the person eating it is pregnant, elderly or has a weakened immune system. Ask the kitchen if you’re unsure about a particular meal.

Can I freeze ready-made meals?

Yes, freezing is the best way to stretch a bundle. Freeze meals the day they arrive rather than on their last day, and thaw them in the fridge or microwave, never on the bench. Some dishes freeze better than others, so ask the kitchen if you’re unsure.

How hot do I need to reheat a ready-made meal?

Until it’s steaming hot all the way through. The Food Safety Information Council advises serving hot food above 60°C. In the microwave, stir and rotate partway through and let the meal stand before checking the centre.

What if my meals were left out of the fridge?

Use FSANZ’s 2-hour/4-hour rule. Under 2 hours, refrigerate them. Between 2 and 4 hours, eat them straight away. Over 4 hours, throw them out, because some bacteria make toxins that reheating won’t destroy.