How Long Does Spinach Last (And Why)?

How Long Does Spinach Last (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 2 to 3 Days in Open

Spinach is a popular green leafy vegetable with its roots in central Asia. The scientific name of this healthy vegetable is Spinacia oleracea. It is an annual plant growing as long as a feet or thirty centimetres and is linked to beets and quinoa.

Spinach is greatly valued as a healthy vegetable. It is a great source of vitamins and protein. In addition to that, Spinach also gives valuable minerals like iron, calcium and magnesium to our body.

Researches say eating spinach can help to improve our eye health, decrease blood pressure levels and reduce the chances of cancer.

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How Long Does Spinach Last?

ConditionTime Lasts For
A. Raw Spinach
I. In open2 to 3 days
II. In the refrigeratorA week
III. In the freezerA year
B. Cooked Spinach
I. In openA day
II. In the refrigerator4 days

It happens that people buy vegetables in speculation of immediate future use, but new plans build up over time. In such cases, there is the risk of vegetables, in this case, spinach, getting stale. However, the risk can be mitigated, if the person knows its expiry period.

As with most vegetables, raw spinach can get rotten if kept in an open environment within a couple of days.

However, the same may remain edible at least for a week if bought fresh and kept in the refrigerator. Sometimes, it may even remain fresh for eleven to twelve days. Moreover, if the spinach is frozen following all due process, it has the potential to last for at least ten to eleven months and at most indefinitely.

It may also happen that the person has cooked the spinach, but some sudden plan comes afterward. In those cases, the person may need to know the period for which the food will be safe to eat.

If the cooked spinach meal is kept in home conditions, the food would be ready to eat for only a day. However, when the same is kept under refrigerator conditions, it would last for four days.

Why Does Spinach Last That Long?

Just like most other vegetables, spinach cannot last forever. It will get rotten off after a certain period of time. In the case of spinach, this time stands for two to three days in the open and a week in the refrigerator.

The condition of the refrigerator is specially created to suit the needs of households. It is designed in such a way that the temperature is lower, allowing it to slow down the process of rotting spinach. This is instrumental in keeping the spinach fresh for longer periods and makes it last for a week to two.

However, under home conditions, the room temperature is higher than the internal temperature of the vegetable. This impacts the process of the natural rotting of spinach by speeding it up. Thus, spinach cannot last beyond two to three days in these adverse conditions.

A person has also the option to freeze the spinach if it is not going to be in use for quite a long time. Studies have shone that frozen food items remain edible for nearly a year. In addition to that, it is also speculated that such food items can last for indefinite periods.

Similarly, in the case of cooked spinach, since it has been already heated to a level, it takes less time for it to get stale. Cooked spinach kept in the refrigerator will last because the refrigeration system will delay its early spoilage. However, since that is not possible in open, the spinach will last only for a day in the open.

Conclusion

Spinach can remain fresh for four to five days on average. If raw and in open, it would last for a couple of days; when the same is cooked, it would last for a day. If the spinach is raw and in the refrigerator, it would last for more than a week, while when the same is cooked, it would last for just a couple of days.

The freshness of spinach depends on its surroundings. As the temperature drops, it leads to slowing down the process of rotting. Thus, spinach lasts longer in the refrigerator and for more than a year, if frozen.

References

  1. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article-abstract/47/4/707/4694772
  2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0260877405007338
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