How cook ready meals safely
To avoid food poisoning when eating ready meals always check the use by date, store in fridge, cook until piping hot and never reheat. Do check cooking instructions before heating.
What you need to know
Ready meals are fully cooked food found in chilled sections of a supermarket like lasagne, Shepherd’s pie or roasted chicken dinners. These don’t need much preparation BUT do need to be heated fully before eating and should never be heated more than once. Here's our advice on making sure ready meals are safe to eat.
Advice at a glance
- Check the use by date
- Always store in the fridge
- Follow cooking instructions carefully
- Always cook until piping hot
- Never reheat
Check the use by date
- Use by date means the food is not safe to eat after this date, even if it looks or smells fine. Check the use by date on food packaging before buying and before heating it at home. Read more about use by dates.
- A use by date is only correct if the food has been stored properly (in the fridge at 5°C or lower) and the packaging is sealed.
- Once opened, eat ready meals within 2 to 3 days. Do check the food label for specific instructions.
Store it in the fridge
- Ready meals should be kept in the fridge where the temperature is at 5°C or lower, unless the label says they can be frozen. Always follow the storage instructions on the packaging.
- Never eat meals that have been left out at room temperature.
- Avoid any ready meal with torn, leaking or bloated packaging.
Follow instructions on the pack
Always read the cooking instructions on the packaging and follow them carefully. Check them for:
- How long to heat the meal
- What temperature to use
- Whether to stir or shake it during cooking
- If it’s suitable for the microwave, the oven, or both
Cook until piping hot
Ready meals must be heated or cooked until they are piping hot. You should see steam rising, and any sauce should be bubbling.
Don’t reheat
If you reheat a ready meal after heating o cooking it once, it can make the food unsafe to eat especially if it contains meat, rice, or dairy. Remember:
- Once you’ve heated a ready meal, eat it straight away.
- Don’t keep leftovers for another time unless the label or instructions clearly says it’s okay.
Recap
- Always follow the cooking instructions
- Never eat food past the use by date
- Store in your fridge at 5°C or colder
- Cook until piping hot
- Never reheat
