Bagels are a favorite Sunday breakfast. A lot of people find the slightly rubbery texture and salty taste irresistible. But what happens if you put cream cheese on your bagel but don’t get to eat it? Can you keep it in the fridge overnight?
You can keep a cream cheese bagel in the fridge for 3-4 days. It should be kept inside an air-tight container or sealed bag to prevent it from getting dry or contaminated. While the fridge is a safe place for your bagel, the freezer is a better option for long-term storage and freshness.
How do you safely store a cream cheese bagel in the fridge? How long does cream cheese last? Can you leave a cream cheese bagel on the counter? Keep reading to find out!
What’s the Best Way to Keep Bagels With Toppings Fresh?
There are several effective ways to store fresh bagels with toppings to prolong their shelf life. They’ll store in the freezer for over three months in a freezer-safe container or bag. However, to store them safely on the counter, place them in an air-tight bag and consume them within 4-7 days.
Most toppings won’t necessarily impact the shelf life of your bagels. The shelf life should be about the same as a plain bagel if you have garlic, sesame, or poppy seed bagels. However, toppings such as cream cheese, sour cream, and onion won’t have a long shelf life unless stored in the fridge or freezer.
Unlike certain foods, you can safely store bagels in the fridge, freezer, and on the counter. However, its shelf life can vary considerably depending on where you choose to store it.
While storing your bagels in the fridge is safe, it’s not our first recommendation. Keeping them in the fridge has several perks, including preventing mold from forming. However, the fridge can impact the taste and freshness of your bagel.
The dry, cold air inside the fridge can pull the moisture out of the bagel. Therefore, while it’s not necessarily a bad idea, it’s not the best.
Preferably, you should store your bagels in either the freezer or counter. To safely store them in the freezer, cut the bagels in half and lay them out on a baking tray. Place them in the freezer for 30-40 minutes until they are pretty much frozen.
Next, remove them from the fridge and tray and place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They should retain their freshness for 3-4 months. Unlike the fridge, the freezer contains moisture inside your food and prevents it from becoming dry and stale.
Storing bagels on the counter is the most popular option. It’s the quickest way to access your bagels, and you won’t have to worry about thawing them before toasting.
The best way to store bagels on the counter is to keep them in an airtight bag or container. Avoid keeping them in direct sunlight and sources of heat. If the bag gets hot, it can build up moisture which can cause bacteria and mold to form.
How Long Do Bagels Last?
Bagels can last 4-7 days on the counter when kept in a sealed container or bag. But, if left out uncovered, they will likely only last a day if they haven’t been contaminated. Homemade bagels have a shorter shelf life because they contain fewer preservatives.
As we discussed above, the shelf life of a bagel depends on how you choose to store it. However, a few other factors can impact the shelf life. These factors include:
- Moisture
- Humidity
- Season
- Ingredients
- Sunlight
Depending on where you live, the seasons can be a big factor in a bagel’s shelf life. For example, on the east coast of the U.S., the weather can vary considerably between Maine and Florida.
Florida experiences warm, humid temperatures all year. But Maine has a large fluctuation in temperatures between January and July. If you’re planning to keep your bagels on the counter in Florida, there’s really not a good season to do so.
However, wintertime in Maine is a good season for storing bread and bagels on the counter. Just make sure you keep them away from the heater to prevent moisture.
Sunlight is also not good for shelf life. Sunlight can break down the integrity of your bags and packages, leading to the degradation of the food. It can also cause moisture to build up inside the bag, leading to spoilage and mold.
All of these factors can influence the shelf life of bagels. If you live in a hot, humid area and wish to keep your bagels for several weeks, we recommend keeping them in the freezer.
How Long Can A Bagel With Cream Cheese Stay Out?
According to the FDA, cream cheese should only be left out for no more than 2 hours at room temperature. Since it contains uncooked cheese and the cream cheese on the bagels is not baked, these rules apply.
Cream cheese is also a soft, moist cheese that can’t stay at room temperature for as long as dry cheese, such as cheddar.
One of the main risks of leaving cream cheese out is cross-contamination. Every hand that’s touched the bagel has germs on it. These germs incubate at temperatures above 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius).
Cream cheese is a soft moist substance with sugars and fats. This makes it an even better breeding ground for bacteria than a hard, baked bagel. You can leave a plain bagel out at room temperature, but not a buttered or cream cheese bagel.
You can learn more about how to store your cream cheese in our article, Can You Leave Cream Cheese Out?
How Long Does Cream Cheese Last?
Cream cheese doesn’t last long when kept at room temperature. However, an unopened package of cream cheese can last for up to a month in the refrigerator. An opened package should remain in a sealed container and be consumed within ten days.
Different types of cream cheese have different shelf lives. Traditional cream cheese with normal fat content has one of the longest shelf lives of dairy cream cheese.
Traditional cream cheese, without any extra ingredients, can last unopened in the fridge for up to a month. Opened traditional cream cheese will last for 7-10 days in the fridge.
Whipped cream cheese has a shorter shelf life of 1-2 weeks in the fridge. This is especially true for whipped cream cheese with added ingredients.
According to most estimates, there are about 16 different types of cream cheese. This can make estimating the shelf life a little trickier. But, as a general rule, whipped and low-fat cream cheese should be used within 2-3 weeks.
Opened specialty cream cheese will last between 7-10 days in the fridge.
Non-dairy, vegan cream cheese has a much shorter shelf life than its dairy counterparts. However, this does vary somewhat depending on what the non-dairy cream cheese was made from.
As a rule of thumb, opened non-dairy cream cheese should be consumed within 3-4 days. Unopened non-dairy cream cheese should be consumed within 1-2 weeks.
Can a Bagel With Cream Cheese Be Left Outside?
It’s not smart to leave any food outside unprotected. Bagels with cream cheese are just as susceptible to spoilage and attracting animals and critters as other foods. Additionally, cream cheese can only remain at room temperature for 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature.
All foods that are left out on a table in the house or outside for a picnic should be properly covered. Insects such as flies, cockroaches, and other germ-carrying insects can contaminate your food.
For example, flies actually spew predigested bacteria onto their food because they don’t have teeth. This bacteria-rich vomit turns food into a gelatinous goo which is why rotting fruit has gooey brown patches.
This is really gross and is full of bacteria. However, if a fly lands on your food for just a few seconds, they probably haven’t started the digestion process yet. However, insects such as flies and roaches travel through very dirty spaces.
Both spend time on dead carcasses and feces. This makes their legs extremely dirty. When they climb on your food, they can transfer thousands of microbes which are then consumed. The best way to prevent this from happening is to keep your food covered at all times while you’re outside.
You can be a little less cautious if you’re inside your house. It really depends on whether you have an infestation or a bug problem.
Additionally, if you live in the northern hemisphere, you’re less likely to have bug problems in the winter months. So you probably won’t have to worry too much about bugs inside.
In short, you should not leave cream cheese out for long periods. It can spoil pretty quickly.
How Do You Know if Cream Cheese Has Spoiled?
The most telling sign that cream cheese has spoiled is the presence of mold. If you’re unsure whether your cream cheese in the fridge has spoiled, try smelling it as well. If it smells rancid or fermented, this can indicate mold and bacteria.
One of the difficult parts of determining if certain cheese has spoiled is all cheese is technically spoiled milk. Cheese is made by adding spoiling agents known as tannins to milk. These tannins create healthy bacteria to form which causes the milk to curdle.
Since there are healthy bacteria present in the milk, it’s difficult for bad bacteria to form. This makes cheese safe to eat, despite being spoiled. However, if you handle your cheese with dirty hands or use a contaminated spoon for soft moist cheese, you can introduce bad bacteria.
This can cause your cheese to spoil and introduce mold spores.
Cheese usually smells strong and tastes bitter, two tell-tale signs that milk has spoiled under normal circumstances. But it’s not a tell-tale sign that cheese has spoiled. Therefore, you’ll have to check for mold or a slimy texture on your cheese.
If your cheese is runny or moldy, you should throw it away. This is especially true for soft cheeses such as cream cheese.
Can You Reheat Bagels with Cream Cheese In the Microwave?
You can reheat cream cheese bagels in the microwave, but they might taste a little off. Cream cheese can taste bitter if it’s heated up too much. Therefore, for the best results, you should scrape off the cream cheese with a knife and spread it back on the bagel after it’s warmed up.
One of the main risks of heating cream cheese in the microwave is that it won’t heat evenly. Since microwaves use a high heat warming feature, it can heat food very quickly. This is fine for solid foods like burgers but not for milky foods like cream cheese.
The bagel might require more time to heat entirely than the cream cheese. Cream cheese needs to be heated in intervals and stirred every 15 seconds to prevent it from burning.
If you heat your bagel for only 15 seconds, the bagel will be insufficiently heated. But if you try to heat it for 30 seconds, you’ll probably end up with burned cream cheese.
The best way to reheat this bagel is to remove the cream cheese, heat the bagel, and apply the cream cheese after.