Expert: Carol Schlitt - 9/18/2006

Question
Dear Ms. Schlitt:
How long does Pumpkin and Apple Pie keep if cooked at home and immediately (after cooling) stored in a refrigerator?  My wife makes my favorite pies and I make sure they last about a week.  In one case, I think I stretched out the Applie Pie for 10 days.  She thinks I'm pushing it on the Pumpkin pie she made a week ago (still have one piece), but I've never had any trouble and it still tastes delicious.
Your expert opinion may keep me well in the future.
Thanks for your time.
Ed

Answer
Hi Ed,

Yum -- pumpkin pie --my favorite!!!

We usually say that refrigerated pumpkin pie will mold long before it would become unsafe due to bacterial spoilage.  Since refrigerated foods seldom get better with age (only women do that!!!) we generally recommend that foods be consumed within 2 to 3 days.  

Now, both you and I know that many foods are still safe after that time period, but they may show signs of food-spoilage microorganism invaders that change the taste, color and appearance of the food. Mold is an example of a food-spoilage microorganism. Other examples of food-spoilage microorganisms cause slimy deli meats, etc.

So are you pushing it for a week for the pumpkin pie -- yes.  It would be better, safety-wise, if after 3 days you'd freeze any leftover pie and defrost in the refrigerator overnight for consumption the next day.  This way any food spoilage and food-borne illness bacteria would be slowed down to such a slow growth level that it would be virtually impossible for them to grow.

Hope this has helped you Ed. For more information on storage of refrigerator foods, check out this website:  
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fttstore.html

Carol