It is understandable if you are worried about how long shrimps can last inside a regular fridge because shrimp is delicious and nutritious. Throwing out the leftover every time you cook would amount to an unimaginable shame. Amazingly, you can actually preserve shrimps’ taste and quality. By putting shrimp inside your fridge, you will not only be preserving the taste, but you will also avert the risk of eating spoiled shrimp.
Shrimp is one of the healthiest seafood; given its numerous health benefits, it is often preferred to skinless chicken for proper body maintenance. Even better, shrimps are a very delicious meal that makes you crave for more. The fact that you can try out new recipes without too much stress or wasting too much time makes shrimp the perfect snacks for a relaxation moment with friends and family.
Health benefits
By far, shrimp enhance overall weight maintenance and allow easy monitoring of caloric intake. One gram of shrimp supplies the body with one calorie and a superficial level of protein. In the same vein, 85 grams of shrimp provides the body with 85 calories and 20 grams of protein, no hard calculation.
Furthermore, shrimp is an excellent source of astaxanthin, the component that gives it an attractive reddish look. Astaxanthin supplies the body with the notorious omega-three fatty acid that is responsible for promoting healthy skin.
It improves skin elasticity, prevents the formation of wrinkles, reduces the aging process, and protects the skin from ultraviolet ray damage. This chemical component also promotes healthy eye condition by protecting the retina from oxidative damage.
Shrimp are free of carbohydrates, and they provide zinc supplementation, which increases the hormone leptin. Insufficient levels of leptin are believed to cause food cravings and a tendency to eat obsessively. Iodine in shrimp helps with proper thyroid gland function, which prevents sluggishness and moderates weight gain and loss. Shrimps are also rich in selenium, which may reduce the risk of cancer.
Also, shrimp contains Vitamin D and phosphorus combined with calcium to promote healthy bones and teeth and prevent bone fracture. Interestingly, shrimps combine these fantastic health benefits with versatility in cooking. There are just too many recipes out there to try out, and they are all easy and fast to prepare.
Side Effects
Unfortunately, shrimp is said to harbor specific health problems because they are high in LDL cholesterol. Concentrations of LDL cholesterol in the blood have been established to be responsible for increasing plaque build-up in arteries, which contributes to hardening of the artery walls and can cause a stroke or heart attack if a clot forms and blocks the flow of blood.
Furthermore, the shrimp’s back is a dark-colored intestinal tube that harbors bacteria and should be removed before the shrimp is eaten. Shrimp may also contain high mercury levels, which is believed to be poisonous to the human body system; thus, you should really reconsider consuming it daily.
Despite the above benefits, the demerit shows that shrimp is not that perfect in all food, proving this is the fact that it is easily prone to bacteria. As such, it gets sour within hours. Definitely, you do not want to keep cooking every day just because of certain health benefits. To properly enjoy your cooked shrimp, you can keep them inside the fridge and extend their shelf life for days.
How long does shrimp last inside a fridge?
To determine how long your shrimp will last inside the fridge, it is necessary to check the sell-by or use-by date. Shrimps are usually packed with a sell-by date. Generally, for all food, the sell-by or use-by date will allow you to know how close the raw version’s expiration date is. While some may have longer sell-by or use-by date, shrimp has a concise date. This is because they are very fragile and, again, prone to bacteria.
Shrimps will last between 2 to 4 days when stored inside the fridge.
When kept at room temperature, that is, 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, shrimp can only last for a few hours, between 2 to 3 hours, after which you will start to notice a weird soured smell. Even worse, when stored at a temperature around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, shrimps can only last for one hour.
However, when stored in a regular fridge, it can last between 2 to 4 days. This is because storing shrimps in a refrigerator means keeping them at a freezing temperature below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
How to store shrimps properly in a regular food fridge
Since shrimps can go sour after a few hours, therefore, even when freshly cooked, it is advisable to store them in the fridge as soon as possible; remember it should be stored when cold to ensure safety. To store, keep the cold shrimps in a sealable plastic bag or an aluminum foil and place it in a very cold compartment.
Alternative storage option/ storing shrimps in a freezer
Because shrimps are bacteria-laden, storing them under appropriate temperature is essential to extend their shelf lives and prevent food poisoning. You can extend the shelf life by keeping shrimp inside a freezer.
Although this may subsequently affect the shrimp’s taste and texture, it preserves it for a very long time. This may indeed be worth the little alteration. A freezer will adequately store your shrimps for about six (6) months without really tampering with the quality.
Some argued that the freezer could store shrimps for an indefinite period, which I believe ruins the taste of your shrimp and even render it useless. A freezer is great for every food but definitely not great for indefinite storage.
How to determine when shrimp has gone bad
Food poisoning resulting from the consumption of soured seafood is significantly detrimental to your health. Of course, all soured foods are harmful to your health; however, poisoning from spoilt seafood is deemed rampant and severe. Do not taste shrimp to determine whether it has gone bad or not; it may result in food poisoning and affect your overall health. Related health issues include vomiting, incessant headache, stomach cramp, and even diarrhea.
Smell it or touch it
To determine whether the shrimp has gone bad or not, smell it; if you notice a weird foul smell, then it has gone bad. However, if you are not sure of the smell, you can also touch the shrimp to determine if it is bad. Touch the shrimp, and if you notice a slimy texture, then it isn’t good. Do not taste a sour shrimp, not even a bite.
How to Make Perfectly Cooked Shrimp Every Time
Conclusion
Indeed, shrimps are tasty, nutritious, and even healthy; however, eating slightly bad ones poses severe health problems nobody wants to go through. As such, you really want to ascertain that your shrimps are not just stored but are adequately stored and are safe for consumption. To achieve this desired proper storage, exploit any of the options presented in this article, that is, keep your leftover shrimps in a fridge as soon as possible.
If you don’t intend to eat it for a couple of days, freeze it for as long as you want. Maybe this may take away a little of its delicious taste, but eating a safe one is definitely better than eating soured shrimps.
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