Hi Laura, I ordered food from a local food delivery company. The company sends all ingredients except olive oil & you prepare the dinners. Under normal circumstances they would arrive by 9:00 p.m. the first day. It is taking up to three days in the Bay Area right now! I have been told these dinners are sent with ice & can last OK that long. These boxed meals are being driven around in the back of regular non-refrigerated delivery trucks. What is the safe life spans of home delivery meals?

OOOOO - that doesn't sound good. Certainly raw meat and whole raw veggies can last fine three days under refrigeration, but I think this would depend on how much of the meal is processed, how effective their coolers are, and what else is a part of the meal. The standard thought for processed foods / leftovers is three days in the fridge max. Something may be safe to eat after that, but it loses all the energy, right? It's no longer "high vibe." That's the macrobiotic in me coming out - prepared food seems to "die" after about 3 days. Now soups, stews that you can reheat to an extended boil seem to refresh and last longer. But salads, sauces, prepped veggies, even sliced raw meats....don't last well in my thought. For instance, look at the prepared salads at Trader Joes. They are never very good, even if the expiration date is a few days out.

Thanks, Laura, for the tofu recipe -- I've always wondered what you do to make it so delicious. Now I'll give it a try!
And thanks for all your informative -- and fun! -- columns.

That BBQ tofu looks amazing and I'm going to try it this week. I usually just dredge my tofu in cornstarch/salt/cayanne mix (or maybe some curry powder) then fry in grapeseed oil and add to stir fried veggies or rice. I am definitely a carnivore but love a good tofu. Thanks for the tip!

Thanks Laura, great expanded article.

I love the idea of innovative businesses based on delivery ( oh no, here come the noisy drones, I hope not ) but I'm finding it real hard to get delivery slots. Most have no open slots and some are around a week away. Meanwhile, now I know that to do with my tofu!

For food safety, I try to make sure the place we order from has food preparers wearing masks and gloves. Before we order, we check to make sure and then observe what is happening with the cooking when we pick up. Our favorite Mexican Place, Celia's in Menlo Park, is ensuring these safe practices happen, which is great. It is not that it is a 100% guarantee of safety. Still good to nuke for 15 seconds, but if they are making a salad with lettuce, then it may not be such a good thing taste-wise.

For food safety, I try to make sure the place we order from has food preparers wearing masks and gloves. Before we order, we check to make sure and then observe what is happening with the cooking when we pick up. Our favorite Mexican Place, Celia's in Menlo Park, is ensuring these safe practices happen, which is great. It is not that it is a 100% guarantee of safety. Still good to nuke for 15 seconds, but if they are making a salad with lettuce, then it may not be such a good thing taste-wise.