Here's How Long Marie Callender's Pies Last After Baking

Keeping a stash of Marie Callender's pies in the freezer is a smart move for easy weeknight dinners or impromptu desserts, and with the right storage they'll last for many months. Once you bake the pies, however, the best-by date on the packaging becomes irrelevant. According to the brand's website, any leftover pie needs to be consumed within just three days. Even this short timeframe depends on the correct storage. Whether you've baked one of Marie Callender's frozen chicken pot pies, which live up to the hype, or a sweet fruit pie, they both need to be refrigerated after cooking.

If you're faced with a lot of leftover pie, you might be tempted to put it back in the freezer, but the official website specifically advises against this. While it might technically extend the shelf life of your pie, the quality will likely suffer.

Freezing causes cell walls to rupture, and in the case of fruit means it will release a lot of liquid when thawed again, leaving you with mushy pastry. With a pie that's been sliced and then refrozen, you also run the risk of developing freezer burn, which can ruin your food, on all the exposed sides.

If you want to enjoy your leftover pie just as much as the day you baked it, you'll want to keep a few storage and food safety tips in mind. While you will need to let the pie come to room temperature before moving it to the fridge, this should be done without delay. You might not want to rush to clean up if you've just enjoyed a nice dinner, but remember that food left at room temperature for more than two hours enters the danger zone for bacterial growth.

Whatever leftover pie you have should be covered well or transferred to an airtight container. This not only helps to prevent cross contamination of bacteria from other items in the fridge, but it will also stop odors from onions or cheese tainting a Marie Callender's store-bought apple pie.

When it comes time to enjoy the pie you've so carefully set aside, check for any signs of spoilage before you tuck in. Any funky smell can be an indication of spoilage, and for fruit pies in particular this could be a fermented or sour smell. Check the pastry for mold, and don't be tempted to cut that section off and continue eating — exterior mold can easily spread through the insides, so it's best to toss the whole thing.