How long can food last in your fridge?
If you spend any time on food and cooking communities you’ll see some questions pop up all the time.
- How long does chicken last in the fridge ?
- How long can you keep eggs in your refrigerator ?
- Can I freeze meat after its been cooked ?
With people living busy lives and spending less time in the kitchen than they used to, food preparation and cooking can seem like a bit of a chore and the easy option is often just to store everything in the fridge for later, or to freeze some stuff rather than cook it now or throw it away if there’s just too much.
Food storage is therefore really important and not something you should take any chances with. Food poisoning is no joke and can affect anyone of any age, if you don’t pay attention to use-by dates and storage instructions.
The tricky part is every food is different and whats safe for chicken won’t necessarily be safe or suitable for beef or pork and so on. Of course there is a lot of food safety advice and food storage information out there and you can look it up. But wouldn’t it be real handy to have everything in one place?
So we’ve collected the answers to all the food storage questions and presented them here in this easy to read table. You can even print it out and stick it on your fridge (where else ? ).
| Food Product | Refrigerator Time | Freezer Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken (whole) | 1 to 2 days | 12 months |
| Chicken (pieces) | 1 to 2 days | 9 months |
| Turkey (whole) | 1 to 2 days | 12 months |
| Turkey (pieces) | 1 to 2 days | 9 months |
| Beef Steaks | 3 to 5 days | 6 to 12 months |
| Veal Chops | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Lamb or Pork Roasts | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 12 months |
| Bacon | 7 days | 1 month |
| Sausage, raw (from chicken, turkey, pork, beef) | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Hamburger and other ground meats | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Hotdogs (unopened) | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Hotdogs (opened) | 7 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Luncheon meat (opened) | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Luncheon meat (unopened) | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Uncured Ham (uncooked) | 3 to 5 days | 6 months |
| Uncured Ham (cooked) | 3 to 4 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Cured Ham (uncooked) | 5 to 7 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Cured Ham (cooked) | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Cooked Ham (vacuum sealed, unopened) | 2 weeks (unless dated earlier) | 1 to 2 months |
| Cooked Ham (vacuum sealed, opened) | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Cooked Ham (whole, store wrapped) | 7 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Cooked Ham (slices, store wrapped) | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| **Country Ham (uncooked, cut) | 2 to 3 days | 1 month |
| Country Ham (cooked) | 7 days | 1 month |
| Canned Ham (unopened) | 6 to 9 months | Not suitable for freezing |
| Canned Ham (unopened) | 7 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Lunch Meat Ham (sealed, unopened) | 2 weeks (unless dated) | 1 to 2 months |
| Lunch Meat Ham (sealed, opened) | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Lunch Meat Ham (sliced in store) | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Prosciutto, Parma or Serrano Ham (cuts) | 2 to 3 days | 1 month |
| Leftovers (cooked meat, poultry, nuggets, pizza) | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months |
| Chicken nuggets or patties | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 3 months |
| Raw eggs in shell | 3 to 5 weeks | Do not freeze. Instead, beat yolks and whites together; then freeze. |
| Raw egg whites | 2 to 4 days | 12 months |
| Raw egg yolks | 2 to 4 days | Not suitable for freezing |
| Hard boiled eggs | 7 days | Not suitable for freezing |
| Casseroles with eggs | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Eggnog (purchased) |
3 to 5 days | 6 months |
| Eggnog (homemade) |
2 to 4 days | Not suitable for freezing |
| Pies (pumpkin or pecan) | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Pies (custard and chiffon) | 3 to 4 days | Not suitable for freezing |
| Quiche with filling | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Salads (egg, chicken, ham, tuna & macaroni) | 3 to 5 days | Not suitable for freezing |
| Soups and Stews (veg or meat) | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
So there it is, a handy printable checklist of fridge food storage times that you can use in your kitchen and reference anytime you put some food in your refrigerator.
An additional handy tip when dealing with longer life storage (freezer) is to label your food before you put them in the freezer or freezing compartments. Just write the current dates or the expiry date of the food (according to our useful checklist) on a label and stick it on the food packaging or bag where food is stored, before placing it in freezing cold storage.