Nettles are delicious, nutritious, and you can prepare them in a variety of ways, from adding them to soups and stews to puréeing them in green sauces.
Not like pork chops or chicken cutlets, nettles are a little trickier to portion out. And if you cooked one nettle too many, you may be wondering how to store the leftovers and how long they will keep.
For the answers to your questions and the ones you didn’t know you had to ask, read on below.
How Long Can You Keep Cooked Nettles?
Cooked nettles last 1-2 hours at room temperature and 3-4 days in the fridge. Frozen cooked nettles stay safe to eat indefinitely, but they only retain their best quality for 9-12 months.1“Leftovers and Food Safety,” Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety
The most important thing when it comes to safely storing cooked nettles is not to keep them at room temperature, which food safety experts call the danger zone.2“How Temperatures Affect Food,” Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/how-temperatures-affect-food, for too long.
Bacteria multiply rapidly in the temperature range of 40°F (4.4°C) to 140°F (60°C) and grow well on cooked nettles. A dozen bacteria on your leftover nettles probably won’t do much harm, but a few hundred can do plenty.
Can Eating Old Cooked nettles Make You Sick?
If you suspect that the cooked nettles have been on your kitchen countertop, dining room table, or in your refrigerator for longer than the times specified above, err on the side of caution and dispose of them.
You can get food poisoning from eating cooked nettles that haven’t been stored properly or that have been kept for too long, even if they look perfectly fine and don’t feel, smell, or taste spoiled.
This is because the pathogenic bacteria that cause food poisoning are not the same as the spoilage bacteria that cause the nettles to spoil. Disease-causing bacteria don’t alter the cooked nettles’ texture, aroma, or flavor in any way, and so they’re virtually undetectable.3“Do spoilage bacteria make people sick?” AskUSDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Do-spoilage-bacteria-make-people-sick
How to Store Leftover Cooked Nettles
If you made more nettles than you and the family can eat in a single meal, remove them from the heat, allow them to cool down as quickly as possible, then refrigerate or freeze them.
Fridge temperature (40°F/4.4°C or lower) slows down the grown of bacteria on our food, but doesn’t stop it. So use up the cooked nettles within no more than 4 days from refrigeration, or they may become overgrown with bacteria and no longer be safe to eat.
To refrigerate leftover cooked nettles, place them in a ziplock bag or food storage container with the lid closed and store them in the lower compartment of your fridge, where it is coldest.
Freezer temperature (0°F/-18°C or lower) puts all bacterial activity on pause. This means that, technically, frozen cooked nettles stay safe to eat forever.
However, they will eventually dry out and lose their texture, aroma, and flavor, so be sure to use them up within 9-12 months.
To freeze leftover cooked nettles, place them in a freezer bag or heavy-duty food storage container with the lid closed and store them in the freezer. Wrapping the nettles loosely in aluminum foil or plastic wrap isn’t enough as they may get freezer-burnt.
How to Tell If Cooked Nettles Are Spoiled
As with all other vegetables, there are some very specific signs you should look for to determine if the nettles you cooked have gone bad.
First, touch the nettles. If they feel sticky and slimy to the touch, then they’re probably spoiled. Second, give them a smell.
If you notice any off odors, whether sour or musty, this is also a sign that they’re past their prime.
The last and final sign of spoilage is the taste. If the cooked nettles are unpleasantly bitter or have a funky, unpleasantly weird taste, DO NOT eat them.
The problem with spoiled food is that you have no reliable way to tell if it’s safe to eat, so it’s better to just play it safe.
In Conclusion
As a general rule of thumb, cooked nettles last:
- 1-2 hours when left out on the kitchen countertop or dining room table
- 3-4 days when properly refrigerated
- 9-12 months when frozen
Cool the nettles down quickly after you’re done cooking them and refrigerate or freeze them, but don’t let them sit out at room temperature. Now, you know the reasons why.
References
- 1“Leftovers and Food Safety,” Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety
- 2“How Temperatures Affect Food,” Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/how-temperatures-affect-food
- 3“Do spoilage bacteria make people sick?” AskUSDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Do-spoilage-bacteria-make-people-sick