How Long Can You Keep Leftover Eggs Benedict In The Fridge?
It's a Sunday afternoon, and you're just getting home from brunch, the rest of your delicious eggs Benedict in tow. You may have spent a pretty penny on your eggs Benedict, maybe with a decadent topping like salmon or crab, so you want to make sure you'll eventually eat up every last bite. Or perhaps you're taking home your brunch as leftovers because you just don't want to waste food — which is a worthwhile feat, considering about 330 million pounds of food is wasted every day in the U.S., according to Generation Vegan. So you toss it in the fridge, promising to revisit your brunch leftovers later in the week.
But every food has its expiration date, and this is especially true with eggs Benedict. A traditional eggs Benedict is made with plenty of perishable ingredients, including eggs (of course), butter, and Canadian bacon. Eggs Benedict recipes call for hollandaise sauce to be spooned over the top of the eggs, which is also made with eggs and butter. According to the FDA, cooked egg dishes can last up to four days in the fridge, while the USDA recommends using butter within a day or two if you're leaving it at room temperature. So when it comes to eggs Benedict as a whole, how long will your leftovers keep in the fridge?
Eat your leftovers within two days
If you went to brunch on Sunday, you'll want to eat your eggs Benedict leftovers by Tuesday to avoid them spoiling. According to Easy Chicken Recipes, eggs Benedict lasts for up to two days in the fridge, and you'll want to keep your hollandaise sauce in a different container than the rest of the components to keep it from going bad. Eat Delights recommends using a sealed container (like Tupperware) or cling wrap to avoid bacteria growth and keep your food in the best condition possible for those two days.
You can probably blame the hollandaise sauce for eggs Benedict not keeping longer — according to Daily Delish, the sauce is particularly susceptible to bacteria growth because it's made from raw eggs, and it only lasts on its own for two days in the fridge. But if you are able to circle back to those leftovers within two days, it's possible to reheat your eggs Benedict. Toasting the English muffins and reheating the bacon is the easy part. Then, reheat the poached eggs by dropping them in hot water for one minute, Seasoned Kitchen advises, and rewarm the hollandaise sauce in short increments in the microwave or with a double boiler.
If that sounds like too much work, there's no shame in digging into cold leftovers — as long as you eat them within two days, they'll probably still be delicious.