Eggs |
Fresh, in shell |
3 to 5 weeks |
Don't freeze |
Raw yolks, whites |
2 to 4 weeks |
1 year |
Hardcooked |
1 week |
Don't freeze well |
Liquid pasteurized eggs, egg substitutes, opened
unopened |
3 days
10 days |
Don't freeze well
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
unopened package |
1 week
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months
1 to 2 months |
Luncheon meats, opened package
unopened package |
3 to 5 days
2 weeks |
1 to 2 months
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
unopened |
3 weeks
3 months |
1 to 2 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
unopened |
3 to 5 days
6 to 9 months |
1 to 2 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: These short but safe time limits will help keep
refrigerated foods from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat.
Because freezing keeps food safe indefinitely, recommended
storage times are for quality only.
Storage times are from date of purchase unless specified on
chart. It is not important if a date expires after food is frozen.
Sources:
-
USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service
-
The Food Keeper, The Food Marketing Institute
U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection
Service www.fsis.usda.gov |
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and
Applied Nutrition www.cfsan.fda.gov |
USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1 (800)
535-4555 In Washington, DC: (202) 720-3333 TTY: 1
(800) 256-7072 |
FDA Food Information Line 1 (888)
SAFEFOOD
(toll-free) | |