A major key to storing food safely is ensuring it is stored at the proper temperature. If we fail to do so, food quality and safety will suffer.
Food that is purchased frozen should be stored at temperatures that will keep it frozen. While most potentially hazardous food purchased fresh should be stored at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, others may have different temperature requirements. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has put together the following recommendations for keeping refrigerated foods from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. Because freezing keeps food safe indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only.
| Product | Refrigerator (40 °F) | Freezer (0 °F) |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | ||
| Fresh, in shell | 3 to 5 weeks | Don't freeze |
| Raw yolks, whites | 2 to 4 weeks | 1 year |
| Hard cooked | 1 week | Don't freeze well |
| Liquid pasteurized eggs, egg substitutes, opened | 3 days | Don't freeze well |
| Liquid pasteurized eggs, egg substitutes, unopened | 10 days | 1 year |
| Mayonnaise | ||
| Commercial refrigerate after opening | 2 months | Doesn't freeze |
| Deli & Vacuum-Packed Products | ||
| Store-prepared (or homemade) egg, chicken, ham, tuna, macaroni salads | 3 to 5 days | Doesn't freeze well |
| Hot Dogs & Luncheon Meats | ||
| Hot dogs, opened package | 1 week | 1 to 2 months |
| Hot dogs, unopened package | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Luncheon meats, opened package | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Luncheon meats, unopened package | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Bacon & Sausage | ||
| Bacon | 7 days | 1 month |
| Sausage, raw from chicken, turkey, pork, beef | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Smoked breakfast links, patties | 7 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Hard sausage - pepperoni, jerky sticks | 2 to 3 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Summer sausage - labeled "Keep Refrigerated" - opened | 3 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Summer sausage - labeled "Keep Refrigerated" - unopened | 3 months | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, Corned Beef | ||
| Corned beef, in pouch with pickling juices | 5 to 7 days | Drained, 1 month |
| Ham, canned - labeled "Keep Refrigerated" - opened | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, canned - labeled "Keep Refrigerated" - unopened | 6 to 9 months | Doesn't freeze |
| Ham, fully cooked vacuum sealed at plant, undated, unopened | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, fully cooked vacuum sealed at plant, dated, unopened | "Use by" date on package | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, fully cooked, whole | 7 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, fully cooked, half | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Ham, fully cooked, slices | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Hamburger, Ground & Stew Meat | ||
| Hamburger & stew meat | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Ground turkey, veal, pork, lamb & mixtures of them | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb, Pork | ||
| Steaks | 3 to 5 days | 6 to 12 months |
| Chops | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Roasts | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 12 months |
| Variety meats - tongue, liver, heart, kidneys, chitterlings | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Pre-stuffed, uncooked pork chops, lamb chops, or chicken breast stuffed with dressing | 1 day | Don't freeze well |
| Soup & Stews | ||
| Vegetable or meat added | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Meat Leftovers | ||
| Cooked meat and meat casseroles | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Gravy and meat broth | 1 to 2 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Fresh Poultry | ||
| Chicken or turkey, whole | 1 to 2 days | 1 year |
| Chicken or turkey, pieces | 1 to 2 days | 9 months |
| Giblets | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Cooked Poultry | ||
| Fried chicken | 3 to 4 days | 4 months |
| Cooked poultry casseroles | 3 to 4 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Pieces, plain | 3 to 4 days | 4 months |
| Pieces covered with broth, gravy | 1 to 2 days | 6 months |
| Chicken nuggets, patties | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 3 months |
| Pizza | ||
| Pizza | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Stuffing | ||
| Stuffing - cooked | 3 to 4 days | 1 month |
| Beverages, Fruit | ||
| Juices in cartons, fruit drinks, punch | 3 weeks unopened 7 to 10 days opened | 8 to 12 months |
| Dairy | ||
| Butter | 1 to 3 months | 6 to 9 months |
| Buttermilk | 7 to 14 days | 3 months |
| Cheese, hard (such as cheddar, swiss) | 6 months, unopened 3 to 4 weeks, opened | 6 months |
| Cheese, soft (such as brie, bel paese) | 1 week | 6 months |
| Cottage cheese, ricotta | 1 week | Doesn't freeze well |
| Cream cheese | 2 weeks | Doesn't freeze well |
| Cream - whipped, ultrapasteurized | 1 month | Doesn't freeze |
| Cream - whipped, sweetened | 1 day | 1 to 2 months |
| Cream - aerosol can, real whipped cream | 3 to 4 weeks | Doesn't freeze |
| Cream - aerosol can, non dairy topping | 3 months | Doesn't freeze |
| Cream, half and half | 3 to 4 days | 4 months |
| Eggnog, commercial | 3 to 5 days | 6 months |
| Margarine | 4 to 5 months | 12 months |
| Milk | 7 days | 3 months |
| Pudding | Package date; 2 days after opening | Doesn't freeze |
| Sour cream | 7 to 21 days | Doesn't freeze |
| Yogurt | 7 to 14 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Dough | ||
| Tube cans of rolls, biscuits, pizza dough, etc. | Use-by date | Don't freeze |
| Ready-to-bake pie crust | Use-by date | 2 months |
| Cookie dough | Use-by date, unopened or opened | 2 months |
| Fish | ||
| Lean fish (cod, flounder, haddock, sole, etc.) | 1 to 2 days | 6 months |
| Fatty fish (bluefish, mackerel, salmon, etc.) | 1 to 2 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Cooked fish | 3 to 4 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Smoked fish | 14 days or date on vacuum package | 2 months in vacuum package |
| Shellfish | ||
| Shrimp, scallops, crayfish, squid, shucked clams, mussels, and oysters | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 6 months |
| Live clams, mussels, crab, lobster, and oysters | 2 to 3 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Cooked shellfish | 3 to 4 days | 3 months |
Note: Storage times are from date of purchase unless specified on chart. It is not important if a date expires after food is frozen.
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