I’ve discovered podcasts. Well, I didn’t just discover them; I knew they were out there, but the only one I became addicted to is “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”. Today on one of their podcasts, I discovered some interesting facts about storing and reheating leftovers.

1. There is no “5 second rule”. If you drop something on the floor and there’s bacteria there, it’s going to get on your food. (Some people think that will help you to develop and immunity to the bacteria. Maybe, but it sure is a risk to risk it.)

2. You don’t have to was your meat of poultry before you cook it. You’re going to kill the bacteria when you cook it. If you wash your meat you might be doing more harm that good. The bacteria on the outside of the meat can splash all over your kitchen and onto other food nearby.

3. While food generally lasts 3 or 4 days in the fridge — except if you reheat it, and you can reheat it several times. Each time you do (as long as it’s above 165 degrees, you can reheat it multiple times. Each time you heat it, it will keep in the fridge for another 3 or 4 days. But reheating food will affect its quality and texture.

4. Don’t leave any food out in room temperature for more than 2 hours.

5. Expiration/sell-by dates and use-by dates are more of a guideline for nutrition and freshness. You still can use it unless there are signs of spoilage.