If you’re wondering as to how long tuna salad lasts in the fridge, the exact answer largely depends on the extent of the storage conditions. It is best to ensure tuna salad refrigeration within two hours of purchasing or preparing.
In order to maximize tuna salad shelf life and to consume it safely afterward, ensure that the tuna is refrigerated in an airtight container. When it is properly stored, the tuna salad should last for anywhere between 3 and 5 days inside the refrigerator.
If you’re going to leave it in the open at room temperature, know that if it is left in the open for more than 2 hours, it has to be discarded. This is because bacteria start to grow rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you’re unsure whether to discard the tuna salad or not, do not taste it as this can be harmful to your health. Instead, be on the lookout for bad odor, and bad appearance, or mold.
More often than not, the mayonnaise and the meat in the tuna salad, which makes up the majority of it, tends to spoil it more quickly than other types of food. This is why it cannot be kept for longer periods of time in the refrigerator.
As a rule, any salad that contains mayonnaise shouldn’t be allowed to stay in the fridge for more than 5 days. If it is not sealed properly, the time it would take to become spoilt drops down further.
Since meat, chicken, and especially fish are highly perishable foods, they cannot be preserved for long once you open the can. One can hope to extend its preservation by a day if one keeps it in the coldest part of the refrigerator and by applying a lot of vinegar or lemon.
Another way to extend it would be to preserve it. However, tuna salad does not smoke well, freeze well, or pickle well. Furthermore, it can be extremely complicated to can it under the proper conditions to preserve it again.
Other sandwiches and salads that can be kept in the refrigerator for a longer period include lunchmeat. A lunchmeat package that has not yet been opened can be kept in the refrigerator for as long as two weeks.
However, if it has been opened, it too, like the tuna salads, should be removed after 3 to 5 days. It can be stored in the freezer, whether opened or unopened, for one to two months.
The same does not apply to tuna salad and it should never be stored in the freezer. This is because the eggs in the mayonnaise, when frozen, can change the consistency of the salad in a short period of time.
How long does tuna salad last? – Final word
As mentioned earlier, tuna salad should not be consumed after 2 hours in the open or 5 days in the fridge even if there isn’t any apparent damage done. This is because, though it may not seem like it, the bacteria take root and can make you very sick.
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