Spinaches are leafy green vegetables packed with nutrients. It is a low-calorie food rich in vitamins A, C, and K and magnesium, iron, and calcium. You can eat raw spinach in salads or cooked and used as a nutritious side dish.
Spinach is also a popular ingredient in soups, stews, and casseroles. Thanks to its nutritional value and versatility, spinach is one of the most popular vegetables and offers a host of health benefits.
In our guide, you can learn more about how long is spinach good for in the fridge after cooking spinach. By the end, you’ll know how long cooked spinach lasts and all the ways how to store spinach. (Learn How Long Are Uncrustables Good For In The Fridge)
How To Cook Spinach
Here are some tips to prepare a spinach side dish:
- Rinse your spinach leaves under cold water to get rid of all the dirt.
- Remove tough stems.
- Chop your spinach leaves into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Add your spinach leaves to a large pot of boiling water.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until your spinach has wilted.
- Drain your cooked spinach using a colander.
- Rinsing with ice water halts the cooking process.
- Remove excess moisture. A salad spinner can help make this easier.
- Season and serve.
Without being cooked first, leafy green vegetables can contain harmful bacteria that are risky for your health. Green leafy veggies should be gently washed and dried with paper towels or cloth.
How To Store Cooked Spinach In The Fridge
If you have cooked spinach that you need to store in the fridge, here’s what you need to do:
- Firstly, you can put the cooked spinach in a plastic container, preferably an airtight container or ziploc bag.
- Secondly, store it in the fridge for 3 or 5 days.
- Put it on the stove or in a microwave-safe dish and reheat it when you’re ready to eat it.
Storing Spinach In The Freezer
If you have to store spinach in the freezer, here’s what you need to do to freeze spinach, although it is best to eat it within 24 hours of cooking to retain the best flavor:
- To prevent the spinach from becoming freezer burned, place it in a container that can shut tightly, a freezer bag, or use plastic bags that can be resealed.
- Store it in the freezer for up to 10 months.
- When you wish to eat it, thaw it in the fridge overnight and cook spinach in the microwave or on medium heat on the stove.
- You can add frozen spinach directly into soups, stews, casseroles, and stir-fries. When you do this, it will defrost as you cook the dish.
Tip: In order to preserve the texture of your cooked spinach, you can first freeze it in smaller portions using an ice cube tray. After the spinach has been frozen into spinach cubes, it can be moved into a container or bag that can be sealed. Although it requires a little more time upfront, this method is a great way of how to store spinach.
How Long Does Spinach Last?
A few interesting facts about spinach are that the state of California produces the most spinach in the United States, followed by the states of Arizona, New Jersey, and Texas. However, most people are unaware that there are three distinct types of raw spinach available. In addition, there are three distinct leaf shapes available for spinach: savoy, semi-savoy, and flat-leaf.
When you want to know how long spinach last in fridge, you’ll find cooked spinach last around three to five days, or cooked spinach lasts for up to six months in the freezer using the proper food storage methods. (Learn How Long Do Peas Last In The Fridge)
Ensure you thaw it completely before you eat spinach, or you could get food poisoning. However, when cooking spinach, fresh will always win. Either way, it is vital to properly store this vibrant green vegetable to get the best from it. When reheating spinach, please remove it from your airtight container and bring it up to temperature slowly as this will help prevent it turning mushy.
How Can You Tell If Cooked Spinach Is Bad?
Before you consider how long does cooked spinach last, you need to know how to tell if your frozen cooked spinach is bad. You’ll find three ways to tell if your cooked spinach is bad:
1. The Leafy Green Vegetable Color
Although vegetables are an essential component of a healthy diet, inadequate storage can cause them to spoil quickly. When you go grocery shopping, it’s essential to monitor the state of your spinach because it’s susceptible to spoiling, and you can see this if it’s turning brown or has dark areas.
Any sticky leaves or with a strong, unpleasant smell should be thrown away. It’s important to keep the spinach chilled after you get it home to stay fresh longer.
For the finest flavor, use the leaves as soon as possible after washing them thoroughly. You can savor fresh spinach all season long with a bit of attention.
2. The Leaf Texture
One way to know how long does cooked spinach last is if spinach feels slimy or mushy to the touch, that is one of a few telltale signs that it has gone bad. Discolored, dark patches on the leaves also indicate that the spinach is no longer fresh.
A sour scent on the spinach is another sign of spoiling; you should not continue cooking. It is better to throw away the spinach and buy fresh leaves if you observe any of these signs.
For food safety, it is always preferable to store cooked spinach properly, even if there are no signs that the spinach has gone bad, and you want to freeze spinach.
3. The Smell
Give the spinach a whiff to see whether it has gone bad. If it smells sour or cheesy, bacteria have grown, and it needs to be thrown away. So stock up on fresh spinach the next time you go grocery shopping, but don’t forget to pay attention to the expiration date.
To maintain the best flavor and texture, it is best to use your leafy greens as soon as possible. However, you will have 3-5 days shelf life in the fridge when stored properly. If you use the crisper drawer, you can extend this time by a few days. (Learn How Long Is Goat Cheese Good For After Opening)
If you wonder how long does cooked spinach last, you will see from the above the time and methods used to preserve cooked spinach. However, you will lose texture when storing cooked spinach for longer before you eat spinach.
How To Wash Spinach?
Wet spinach, like many leafy greens, quickly wilts and spoils, which is one reason for only washing as you use them. After washing the spinach leaves, strain them in a strainer or the bowl of a salad spinner and rinse them with ice-cold water.
The spinach leaves should be quickly dried using a paper towel before use or storing. You do not need to blanch the frozen spinach in advance if you intend to consume it within a few weeks of purchasing it. It is simple to defrost, and then you can include it into many delicious pasta dishes that your family enjoys eating, where you can get all the health benefits.
After squeezing out all the excess air from the freezer bags, unblanched spinach can be kept in the freezer for an indefinite amount of time. Once the spinach has been submerged in the ice cold water for the allotted time, the water should be drained and the leaves should be squeezed between a couple paper towels to remove any excess water and to dry the leaves before they are frozen.
You can also blend the bag of spinach to a smooth consistency and then freeze the mixture in ice cube trays to make individual portions.
How To Tell Spinach Has Gone Bad?
Once your spinach has begun to rot, you will begin to notice a few telltale signs of deterioration, such as the ones listed below. The color of bad spinach should be brilliant and green, but wilted spinach should turn yellow, brown, and black.
Spinach that has not yet gone bad will have a crisp texture, while spinach that has gone bad will become mushy and develop slimy leaves. If it’s not fresh, spinach shouldn’t have much of a fragrance, but if it’s spoiled, it should have an offensive odor or a nasty aroma.
And last but not least, if your bag of spinach is still in its original packaging, you can easily tell when it has gone bad because it will cause the bag to expand and appear as though it has been blown up with air. This is true even if the bag has not been opened. (Learn How Long Is Tuna Salad Good For In The Fridge)
Buying Spinach Tips
When selecting your fresh spinach or raw spinach, here are some valuable guidelines to keep in mind:
When purchasing pre-packaged spinach from the grocery store, it is important to always check the expiration date that is printed on the bag. This will allow you to avoid purchasing spinach leaves with an expiration date that is too close in the future.
Be mindful of the packaging when selecting spinach from the grocery store that comes in a plastic bag that has been sealed. If you buy your fresh spinach along with other salad greens at the farmer’s market, bring it home as soon as possible for proper storage. This will help limit the risk of bacteria growth while keeping the highest possible quality of your spinach entire leaves.
Conclusion
It would help if you always had some lovely spinach leaves on hand for anything you want to prepare now that you know everything there is to know about the way to store them.
Remember that you can keep your spinach out on the counter for a few hours, but after that, it needs to be put in the refrigerator in order to keep for longer lengths of time if necessary.
In addition, you can extend the shelf life of your spinach by placing the leaves in a plastic zipper bag and pressing out as much air as possible, and then placing the bag in the freezer.
