Five days According to StillTasty.com, prepared potato salad—whether homemade or store-bought, dressed with vinegar and oil or mayonnaise—will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days if stored properly.
How long potato salad keeps?
How Long Does Potato Salad Last? – Potato salad, like most perishable foods, cannot sit out for more than two hours, and closer to only one hour when the temperature is above 90°F and you’re dining outside. The clock starts ticking as soon as you stir together your homemade recipe, so unless you intend to eat all of the potato salad at once, shortly after it’s made, you need to promptly transfer it into an airtight container and pop it in the fridge.
- The safe temperature threshold for potato salad is below 40°F.
- At home, that means in the refrigerator.
- When away from home, a cooler full of ice or frozen gel packs is the only way to go.
- The two-hour window applies each time a container of potato salad is not chilled, not just when it’s sitting out on the table.
When handling store-bought ready-to-eat potato salad, the clock starts ticking as soon as you place it in the shopping cart. It’s easy to forget that the drive home from the grocery or restaurant might exceed the 1- or 2-hour time limit when we’re running lots of errands on a hot day.
- That’s true for other perishable groceries and take-out fare as well.) By the way, mayonnaise is not the culprit here.
- Blame it on the bad bacteria that grow rapidly when food remains in the danger zone between 40°F and 140°F for more than two hours.
- This means that potato salad made without mayo isn’t exempt from these time and temp guidelines.
Bottom Line: When stored safely, fresh potato salad should keep for up to five days. But when in doubt, throw it out, even when the potato salad looks, smells, and tastes OK. You can’t trust a quick sniff test or wishful thinking when it comes to assessing the risks of foodborne illness caused by undetectable bad bacteria.
How long is potato salad with egg good in the refrigerator?
The One Potato Salad Rule You Should Never Break
Shelf Life Tips –
How long does potato salad last in the fridge? The precise answer to that question depends to a large extent on storage conditions – refrigerate potato salad within two hours of preparing or purchasing. To maximize the shelf life of potato salad for safety and quality, refrigerate the potato salad in airtight containers. Properly stored, potato salad will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. How long can potato salad be left at room temperature? Bacteria grow rapidly at temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F; potato salad should be discarded if left out for more than 2 hours at room temperature. How to tell if potato salad is bad? If potato salad develops an off odor, flavor or appearance, or if mold appears, it should be discarded; do not taste first.
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What does potato salad taste like when it goes bad?
Several signs indicate that your potato salad is spoiled, including a foul odor, a green or black color, or a slimy texture. This can signify that bacteria have started growing and causing the food to spoil. Luckily, most spoiled foods are not dangerous, at least not yet. 
One of the most common signs that your potato salad is spoiled is its unpleasant odor. A sour or rancid flavor will indicate that the potatoes are not fresh anymore. A slimy texture also indicates the presence of mold. It is best to throw the salad out as soon as you notice the first of these symptoms.