# Is chicken soup made on Tuesday still ok to eat on Sunday? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087 "2015-03-16T00:27:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/1 "2015-03-16T00:27:04Z")
My friend made me some chicken soup last Tuesday, intending to deliver it for my dining pleasure on Thursday. Due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, she didn’t bring it over until Saturday (yesterday). Now it’s Sunday. It has been refrigerated the whole time, but is it still ok/safe to eat? The circumstance which prevented timely delivery was a bout of intense nausea after surgery on Thursday, so I’m reluctant to consume anything remotely questionable, even at this late date. I wish she had just thrown it in the freezer when I didn’t get home on Thursday as planned. I really don’t want to eat it. Maybe I can just taste a spoonful so I can say, “Ohhhh, it was so good.” Now I’m getting into ethical/etiquette zones. I wish she hadn’t brought it. I’m prolly way overthinking this. Please help me. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/2 "2015-03-16T00:31:04Z")
It has been refrigerated for five days? I’d throw it on the stove, bring it to a boil and chow down. ---
**Author:** ![Saturn\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/3 "2015-03-16T01:22:18Z")
Why the hell would you risk it considering your health condition? Personally, I would throw it out on the third day, even if I wasn’t sick. Just say thanks, it was delicious and that’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/4 "2015-03-16T01:26:53Z")
I would have been dead a thousand times over if five-day-old soup weren’t safe to eat. Provided ingredients and finished product were fresh, everything was properly refrigerated, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/5 "2015-03-16T01:27:43Z")
Five days refrigerated is not a problem, as long as the refrigerator maintains a temp somewhere around 35 degrees (under 40). Heat it to a boil and enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/6 "2015-03-16T01:44:16Z")
Since it’s safe to eat, but you’re not in the mood, why not freeze it and eat it when you are? Free lunch and no ethical/etiquette questions. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/7 "2015-03-16T01:58:19Z")
I made a beef stew a couple of weeks back and gave my son a container to take back to his mum’s. When I dropped him off seven days after making the stew it was still in my ex’s fridge. I took it back home that night and chowed down. Not only was it delicious, I didn’t have any issues at all. I think there’s something about the liquid/gravy that helps preserve things a bit longer. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/8 "2015-03-16T02:24:45Z")
Thanks for the help. I heated it to a raging boil and stirred vigorously for about 7-8 mins then ate about 1/4 cup. I put the still refrigerated part in the freezer and I will prolly throw it away. But I was able to text my friend my thanks and said it was delicious. (It was pretty good.) No, the above isn’t logical or anything. I’m rational enough to realize that. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/9 "2015-03-16T02:31:45Z")
During the winter I often make chicken soup and eat it every night until it’s gone. Five or six days is common. Really, chicken soup has already been boiled for hours, so it’s starting from pretty much zero as far as bacterial growth is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/10 "2015-03-16T02:34:26Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Thanks for the help. > > I heated it to a raging boil and stirred vigorously for about 7-8 mins then ate about 1/4 cup. I put the still refrigerated part in the freezer and I will prolly throw it away. But I was able to text my friend my thanks and said it was delicious. (It was pretty good.) > > No, the above isn’t logical or anything. I’m rational enough to realize that. If it makes you feel any better, I’m always sticking leftovers in the freezer that I know will eventually end up in the trash. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/11 "2015-03-16T03:13:07Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > If it makes you feel any better, I’m always sticking leftovers in the freezer that I know will eventually end up in the trash. That actually DOES make me feel better. There’s a great old hilarious cookbook called the [I Hate to Cook Book](http://www.amazon.com/Hate-Cook-Book-50th-Anniversary/dp/0446545929/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426475386&sr=8-1&keywords=peg+bracken)by Peg Bracken. In there she talks about how she feels guilty throwing away leftovers, so she sticks them in the back of the fridge, and when they’ve been there long enough to grow a little fuzzy coat of mold, she feels okay about throwing them away. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/12 "2015-03-16T04:02:21Z")
It’s still fine to just freeze. You said it was good, so why not just stick it in the freezer? Anything I’ve made in soup/stew form that was simmered on the stove is perfectly fine for a week. I often make a pot full of something on my days off and often have the last serving the day of or before I make another. Unless I didn’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/13 "2015-03-16T05:14:04Z")
I read in one cookbook stocks and soups should be taken out and boiled several minutes every day. Even if you don’t plan to eat it then. Stocks can last for weeks when done this way. otherwise 5 or 6 days would be my limit on refrigerating soup. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/14 "2015-03-16T10:36:11Z")
Boiled every day?? Man, that sounds nuts to me. For me, if there’s no obvious sign of fuzzy growths, I do a sniff test. As long as it doesn’t smell wrong, it’s fine. Too many people waste too much perfectly good food. (Like my idiot nephew who throws out milk that has reached its “sell by” date, but that’s another story.) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/15 "2015-03-16T12:34:50Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > It’s still fine to just freeze. You said it was good, so why not just stick it in the freezer? I did put it in the freezer. After I ate a little. > [@aceplace57](#): > > I read in one cookbook stocks and soups should be taken out and boiled several minutes every day. Even if you don’t plan to eat it then. Stocks can last for weeks when done this way. I have read this, too. And that while you’re boiling it, it should be stirred vigorously to incorporate a lot of air/oxygen. I’ll look for a citation. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/16 "2015-03-16T12:50:12Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > I would have been dead a thousand times over if five-day-old soup weren’t safe to eat. Provided ingredients and finished product were fresh, everything was properly refrigerated, etc. Yep. We had turkey-vegetable-dumpling soup for dinner last night, finishing off the week old pot. We also had it Tuesday and Wednesday (gf makes some huge pots of soup). ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2015, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chicken-soup-made-on-tuesday-still-ok-to-eat-on-sunday/715087/17 "2015-03-16T12:57:00Z")
There is a discussion of boiling soup every day [here](http://ask.metafilter.com/30461/Could-I-make-an-eternal-pot-of-soup). It’s all over the place, but this seems salient: > [@](#): > > …it is not only live bacteria that can make you sick. Most cases of botulism (for example) result from eating the toxin made by bacteria before they are killed by heat treatment. But who knew Bone Broth was the Next Big Thing? Lots of stuff on that! This is from one particularly [earthy mother](http://nourishedkitchen.com/perpetual-soup-the-easiest-bone-broth-youll-make/). BTW, when you Google “keeping stock for a long time,” you will find out a lot about capital gains. 😛