Refrigerating and Freezing Common Foods
CalorieKing.com Staff
Fridges and freezers help us to store foods for longer, but just how long should you keep things in storage?
The following table indicates the approximate length of time you can safely store specific foods in the fridge or freezer.
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| Food | Fridge | Freezer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs | Fresh, in shell | 20 days | Don't freeze |
| Hard cooked | 7 days | Won't freeze well | |
| Raw yolks, whites | 2 - 4 days | 1 year | |
| Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes (opened) | 10 days | 1 year | |
| Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes (unopened) | 3 days | Don't freeze | |
| Mayonnaise | 60 days (refrigerate after opening) | Don't freeze | |
| Frozen Dinners | Don't refrigerate | Freezer: 90 - 120 days (keep frozen until ready to serve) | |
| Deli Products | Egg, chicken, tuna, ham, macaroni salads | 3 - 5 days | Won't freeze well |
| Pre-stuffed pork & lamb chops, chicken breasts | 1 day | Won't freeze well | |
| Store-cooked convenience meals | 1 - 2 days | Won't freeze well | |
| Soups & Stews | 3 - 4 days | 60 - 90 days | |
| Hamburger, Ground & Stew Meats | Hamburger and stew meats | 1 - 2 days | 90 - 120 days |
| Ground turkey, veal, pork, lamb (separate or mixed) | 1 - 2 days | 90 - 120 days | |
| Hot Dogs & Lunch Meats | Hot dogs, unopend | 7 days | 30 - 60 days in freezer wrap |
| Lunch meats, opened | 3 - 5 days | 30 - 60 days in freezer wrap | |
| Lunch meats, unopened | 14 days | 30 - 60 days | |
| Bacon & Sausages | Bacon | 7 days | 30 days |
| Raw pork, beef, chicken, or turkey sausages | 1 - 2 days | 30 - 60 days | |
| Smoked breakfast links, patties | 7 days | 30 - 60 days | |
| Hard sausages (pepperoni, jerky sticks) | 14 - 21 days | 30 - 60 days | |
| Ham & Corned Beef | Corned beef (drained) | 5 - 7 days | 30 days |
| Hamm canned (label says keep refrigerated) | 6 - 9 months | Don't freeze | |
| Ham, fully cooked, whole | 7 days | 30 - 60 days | |
| Ham, fully cooked, half | 3 - 5 days | 30 - 60 days | |
| Ham, fully cooked, slices | 3 - 4 days | 30 - 60 days | |
| Meats, Fresh | Beef steaks & Roasts | 3 - 5 days | 6 - 12 months |
| Pork chops, Pork & Veal Roasts | 3 - 5 days | 120 - 180 days | |
| Lamb chops | 3 - 5 days | 6 - 9 months | |
| Variety meats (tongue, brain, kidney, liver, heart) | 1 - 2 days | 90 - 120 days | |
| Poultry, Fresh | Chicken or turkey, whole | 1 - 2 days | 12 months |
| Chicken or turkey, pieces | 1 - 2 days | 9 months | |
| Giblets | 1 - 2 days | 90 - 120 day | |
| Poultry, Cooked | Fried chicken, plain chicken pieces | 3 - 4 days | 120 days |
| Cooked poultry dishes | 3 - 4 days | 120 - 180 days | |
| Pieces, in broth or gravy | 1 - 2 days | 180 days | |
| Chicken nuggets, patties | 1 - 2 days | 30 - 90 days |
Source: University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Last updated: December 29th, 2007
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