How Long Baked Potatoes Last In The Fridge

With the time that it takes to make a good baked potato in the oven, it makes sense to throw a few in there at once. And if this means you end up with leftovers, that's just more days of potato goodness to enjoy — provided they don't go bad before you finish them.

The USDA advises eating baked potatoes within three to four days, with a few caveats. The first depends on what happens to them between cooking and moving them to the fridge. Cooked food that's left at room temperature for more than two hours can quickly breed bacteria, so the potatoes might begin deteriorating before that four-day lifespan really starts. The second factor is how the spuds are stored. Baked potatoes should never be kept in aluminum foil, so if you've used it for cooking, it's best removed immediately afterwards. The foil traps heat after baking, meaning the potato might still be in the temperature danger zone well after you've put it in the fridge. Foil also creates condensation, and these pockets of moisture can develop bacteria that cause food poisoning, including botulism.

The best way to store baked potatoes is to remove any foil and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap once they've cooled down. Alternatively, add the cooked potatoes to an airtight container and place them in the fridge.

Storing plain baked potatoes is straightforward, but what about spuds with toppings? In an ideal world, you should store each of the fillings separately, particularly if you're using fresh ingredients. Foods with high moisture levels such as sauces and salsas are more likely to develop harmful bacteria, which will easily spread to the potato or other toppings if they are stored together.

If it's too late for separate storage and you've topped more baked potatoes than you can eat in one sitting, loaded spuds will still keep for a day or so in the fridge — you just need to be a bit more aware of food safety when warming up leftovers. To ensure leftover baked potatoes are safe to eat, they should be reheated to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, including any toppings they have been stored with. For traditional add-ons, like chili, this isn't going to change your eating experience too much. But if you've added fresh dairy or more unexpected baked potato toppings like smoked fish, these will also need to be reheated to a safe temperature, potentially changing their fresh taste and texture.

If you're storing twice-baked potatoes, in which all the toppings are cooked, then you can follow the general guidelines for leftovers, which is three to four days.