Tasty Ways to Use Leftover Christmas Ham 35 Recipes - the Imperfectly Happy home (2024)

FAQs

How long will Christmas ham keep in the fridge? ›

How long does Christmas ham last? Christmas ham stored in the fridge, either on the bone or carved off and wrapped in plastic and foil, will keep perfectly well for up to two weeks. Ham wrapped in plastic and foil and then frozen will last in the freezer for up to a month.

If you want to freeze your Christmas ham (we don't need to tell you how much space they take up in the fridge), cut thick slices and wrap them in plastic, and then in foil. You can keep your ham slices frozen for up to a month.

Tony Rapone from Bertocchi Smallgoods says, “If the ham is wrapped in a tea towel moistened with water, a tablespoon of vinegar and lemon juice, then placed into a clean old pillowcase, and stored in the coolest part of the fridge, it will keep for over a week.”

If you buy your ham from the supermarket already cooked, it can be refrigerated for as long as the use-by-date indicates. PrimeSafe Victoria, the regulatory body for meat in Victoria, indicates that cooked ham when unopened has a shelf life of two weeks.

Whole cured hams last in the refrigerator for up to a week. However, fresh ham only lasts a few days in the refrigerator, about three or four once you've cooked it. It doesn't matter if the ham is whole or sliced; the lack of preservatives allows it to spoil more quickly.

Yes and no. Although ham isn't toxic for your dog, it's best to avoid it in large quantities. The odd small bite is unlikely to cause an issue (unless your dog has a known or underlying medical condition), but it's not the best meat for your pup to consume a lot of.

If your meat is turning an unhealthy green, gray, or black color that's a sure sign it's gone bad. Off smell, discolorations, slime, and bad taste are all signs of spoiled ham. Uncooked ham lasts 3 to 5 days if fresh and around 5 to 7 days if cured.

Once you've properly wrapped and frozen your leftover ham, you can keep it in a frost-free freezer for up to 2 months without loss of flavor. If you store it longer, it'll develop freezer burn, which is the meat drying out at the edges.

Step 1: If you're moving cooked ham to the freezer immediately, make sure you let the meat cool fully before preparing it. Feel free to freeze leftover cooked ham as a whole or in slices, depending on whether you'll need smaller or larger portions later on.

Is ham healthier than bacon? ›

Both ham and bacon are high in protein, but they also contain a significant amount of fat and sodium. As you can see, bacon is significantly higher in calories, fat, and sodium than ham. Ham is a better source of protein per calorie than bacon. However, bacon does contain slightly more protein per serving than ham.

Whether you buy a ham with or without the bone, the kind pressed into a tight cylindrical form, or a spiral-cut ham, all the hams that we buy in the supermarket have been cured and cooked (or partially cooked) -- and that's why they're pink.

Here's the good news: You can absolutely freeze cooked ham. In fact, many hams are cured and/or smoked, which were old-school (and still beloved) ways to preserve food for later use. Ham can be stored in the freezer for up to four months, according to USDA food safety guidelines.

When Should You Throw Out Ham? If your ham has been stored in the fridge for more than five days after the package has been opened or in the freezer for more than six months, it is best to throw it out. Ham that has been exposed to temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit should also be disposed of.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ham is good for three to five days in the refrigerator after it is cooked. If you need more time to use up those leftovers, ham will last up to two months in the freezer. The USDA also recommends wrapping up leftovers well.

Information. Spiral-cut hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams may be stored in the refrigerator three to five days or frozen one to two months. Keep your refrigerator at 40 °F or less and your freezer at or near 0 °F. See also Ham and Food Safety.

The best way to determine how long your ham will keep in the refrigerator is to check the packaging and throw it away if it is past the expiration date. Once the packaging or wrap on your ham is open, you should consume it within five days.

How Long Will Smoked Ham Last in the Fridge? If, for some reason, you didn't use your ham, and it's still sealed in the package, it can last up to two weeks, which the packaging should indicate. If you open the ham, it will only last for three to five days.

But how long can you keep cold cuts? When frozen in freezer wrap, cold cuts can last up to 2 months. If you're looking for a more immediate timeline, cold cuts last in the refrigerator 3 - 5 days if the package has been opened and 2 weeks if the package is unopened.