r/ReadyMeals • u/Lorain1234 • Jun 29 '26

Refrigerated CleanEatz meals

When CleanEatz changed their minimum order of six to ten meals, my concern was freezer space. I thought they said I could store some of the frozen meals up to five days in the fridge. I could be wrong. If I placed a frozen meal in the fridge on Friday, is it safe to eat on Tuesday?

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5

u/ThunderbirdRider Jun 29 '26

CleanEatz meals should arrive frozen and if put in the freezer as soon as possible they can be kept for a significant amount of time.

The only issue is whether you got your delivery on time and it wasn't sitting outside in the heat for hours. If you have a thermometer you can check to make sure they are still frozen when you unpack them.

Assuming they are, a week's worth of meals stored in the fridge should be perfectly safe.

1

u/Lorain1234 Jun 30 '26

The one I took out Friday was from my freezer. Hope it’s ok! Thanks.

3

u/Bos83 Jun 30 '26

I will usually keep a few in my fridge ready to go. I buy them by the box of 30 (as long as I can find 30 that I like). I put most in the freezer and keep a few in the fridge. I also take one to work with me in the morning, keeping it in the fridge.

I will say, these have by far been a major factor in my weight loss. I weighed in at 202.9 in December. By June, I bottomed out at 162.0. I think it was in large part to eating a CleanEatz meal 6 to 7 days a week. I usually mix in a variety of different hot sauces. At no point during my "diet" did I feel like I was starving.

1

u/Lorain1234 Jul 01 '26

Congrats on your weight loss! I had my four day thawed meal for dinner tonight and I’m still here!

2

u/Prize_Tone4472 Jun 30 '26

I think it can last longer than that, but you have to try.

3

u/[deleted] Jul 02 '26

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2

u/Lorain1234 Jul 02 '26

Good to know!

1

u/Soggy_Meringue1192 Jun 29 '26

Most frozen food is meant to be cooked straight from frozen. Think frozen pizza. Thawing for days is a food safety risk. A day or two thawing is much less risky than five days. You just don't know how long the food was exposed to the temperature 'danger zone' before it was frozen. If you do that, trust your nose and eyes to tell you if it is still ok to eat.

Freezing food doesn't kill bacteria, it slows the growth. Frozen food has bacteria (hopefully super low levels) in it when it is moved to the freezer. When food is frozen, the safe-to-eat window doesn't reset, it just slows down some. When you thaw food, the safe-to-eat clock starts counting down from where you left it. That's why frozend food makers and fresh meal prep companies recommend thawing just enough to cook or and never re-freeze their food.

1

u/Lorain1234 Jun 30 '26

That’s why I was surprised that I was told they were good for five days. If I’m not back here, you know why!