My Fearless Kitchen

Quick tips and easy recipes to chase the fear out of your kitchen.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

  • mfk_utensils
  • Recipes
      • Quick and Easy
      • Slow Cooker
      • Grill
      • Freezer Friendly
      • Dips & Snacks
      • Breakfast & Breads
      • Dessert Recipes
      • Main Dish Recipes
      • Side Dish Recipes
      • Soups & Salads
  • Kitchen Tips, Tricks, & More
  • About Farming & Food
    • About GMOs
    • Antibiotics
    • Meat
    • Pigs
    • Eggs
    • Poultry
  • Disclosure, Disclaimers, & Privacy Policy
Home » Food Storage Guidelines – How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator

Food Storage Guidelines – How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator

By Marybeth Feutz 10 Comments

Have you ever wondered how long you can keep food in the refrigerator? If the inside of your refrigerator looks like most people’s, the things you use most often are in the front, and the things that don’t get used as much get pushed to the back. And if your refrigerator is anything like mine, there are a few things that you forgot about before they went bad. These food storage guidelines will help you use things up before they go bad.

How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator from My Fearless Kitchen. Do you know how long you can keep food in the refrigerator? These food storage guidelines will help you keep your refrigerator organized and your food safe!

pinterest-button

How Long Can You Keep Food In The Refrigerator?

{This post was sponsored by Indiana’s Family of Farmers. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Referral links are used in this post.}

Keeping your refrigerator cleaned out and well organized can help you see what foods you have and what foods need to be used up. Not everything will last the same amount of time in the refrigerator. Those chicken breasts should be cooked (or frozen) in 1-2 days, while the bacon will last up to a week. Apples will keep for up to 4-6 weeks, but strawberries will only be good for 3-6 days.

Using the dates on the package your food came in is important for knowing if the food in your refrigerator is safe to eat. But once you open the package, you often need to use the product up before the date on the package. A good habit to get into is to keep a Sharpie near your refrigerator. Date everything when you open it, and then you’ll know if something is still safe or should get tossed. If anything looks or smells like it might not be good, be safe and throw it away. Remember – when in doubt, throw it out!

How Long to Keep Foods in the Freezer

Are you wondering about how long you can store food in the freezer? This post has the answers!

How Long to Keep Foods in the Freezer from My Fearless Kitchen. Do you know how long you can keep food in your freezer? These food storage guidelines will help keep your food fresh.

Fruits

Some fruits will do better stored in the refrigerator, and some can be stored at room temperature. Still others (like apples and pears) can be kept on your counter until they are ripe, and then stored in the refrigerator until you eat them. Not all of your fruits can be stashed in the low humidity drawer of your refrigerator, so be sure you know which fruits play nicely together before you stock up on fresh fruit.
apple

Fruits Time to Store in Refrigerator
Apples 4-6 weeks
Blueberries 10 days
Cherries 7 days
Blackberries, Raspberries, Strawberries 3-6 days
Citrus fruits 1-3 weeks
Grapes 7 days
Melons Whole 2 weeks; cut 2-4 days
Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Pears 3-5 days
Pineapple 5-7 days

Vegetables

Most vegetables should be stored in the high-humidity drawer of your refrigerator. There are a few vegetables that should be stored in the low-humidity drawer, or that do better stored at room temperature. (Here is more information on where to store your veggies.) You might be surprised that many of them have a pretty short storage time!

carrot

Vegetables Time to Store in Refrigerator
Avocado 3-4 days
Asparagus 2-4 days
Green beans, Peas 3-5 days
Broccoli, Cauliflower 3-5 days
Carrots 2-3 weeks
Celery 1-2 weeks
Corn 1-2 days
Cucumbers 4-6 days
Eggplant 4-7 days
Greens 4-7 days
Mushrooms 3-7 days
Peppers 4-14 days
Rhubarb 3-7 days
Summer squash, Zucchini 4-5 days
Tofu use package date; 2-3 days after opening

Dairy and Eggs

All of your dairy and eggs should have a date on the package. This might be the sell by date, the use by date, or the best by date. (Here’s a quick refresher of what all those dates mean.) The date on the package is your best estimate of how long this food will be good for. These dates are some additional guidelines, and are very helpful once the container is opened.

dairy-bottle

Dairy Time to Store in Refrigerator
Butter 1-3 months
Margarine 6 months
Milk 1 week
Cheese, hard 6 months unopened; 3-4 weeks after opening
Cheese, soft 1-2 weeks
Cheese, shredded 1 month
Cheese, Parmesan, shredded 12 months
Cheese slices 3-4 weeks
Cheese, processed slices 3-4 weeks
Cottage cheese, Ricotta cheese 2 weeks unopened; 1 week after opening
Cream cheese 2 weeks
Buttermilk 1-2 weeks
Coffee creamer 3 weeks
Half and half 3-4 days
Cream, heavy 10 days
Cream, light 2 weeks unopened; 1 week after opening
Sour cream 7-21 days; use package date
Dips, sour cream based 2 weeks
Whipped cream, aerosol 3-4 weeks
Whipped topping, tub 2 weeks
Yogurt 7-14 days

chicken

Eggs Time to Store in Refrigerator
Eggs, in shell 3-5 weeks
Eggs, hard boiled 7 days
Eggs, raw, out of shell 2-4 days
Egg substitute 10 days unopened; 3 days after opening

Meat & Seafood

Fresh meats and seafood don’t keep very long in your refrigerator. A good rule of thumb is to only buy what you will use in the next few days, and freeze anything that you don’t plan on using in 2-3 days.

beef-cow

Meats Time to Store in Refrigerator
Bacon 7 days
Beef, lamb, or pork – Chops, steaks, and roasts 3-5 days
Ground meat, Stew meat 1-2 days
Ground chicken, turkey 1-2 days
Sausage, raw bulk or patties 1-2 days
Sausage, cooked links 7 days
Sausage, hard 2-3 weeks
Ham, canned 6-9 months
Ham, cook before eating 1 week
Ham, cooked slices 3-4 days
Ham, cooked whole 7 days
Chicken or turkey, whole or parts 1-2 days
Duck or goose, whole 1-2 days
Chicken nuggets or patties 1-2 days
Giblets 1-2 days
Hot dogs 2 weeks unopened; 1 week after opening
Lunch meats 2 weeks unopened; 3-5 days after opening

fish

Seafood Time to Store in Refrigerator
Crab legs 2-4 days
Crab meat 1-3 days
Fatty fish 4-6 days
Lean fish 4-6 days
Lobster tail, whole lobster 1-2 days
Fresh clams, mussels, oysters 5-10 days; 3-10 days shucked
Shrimp, scallops, crayfish, squid 1-3 days

Beverages

We already covered milk in the dairy section, but what about the other tasty drinks you may have stashed in your refrigerator?

water

Beverages Time to Store in Refrigerator
Juice, sold refrigerated use package date; 6-10 days after opening
Juice, shelf-stable use package date; 8-12 days after opening
Nectar 5-7 days after opening
Soda 2-3 days after opening
Soy or Rice drink 7-10 days after opening

Condiments

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been known to find forgotten bottles of salad dressing or half-used bottles of ketchup in the back of my refrigerator. Many condiments do have a long shelf life, but it’s probably not as long as we think.

basket

Condiments Time to Store in Refrigerator
Mayonnaise 2 months
Olives 2 weeks
Pickles 1-3 months
Salad dressings 1-3 months
Salsa 1 month
Soy sauce 1 month
Vinegar 1 year
Worcestershire sauce 1 year

Leftovers

No matter what kind of leftovers you have, they should only be kept in your refrigerator for a maximum of three days. Be sure to use up or freeze any leftovers by that third day. After 3 days, it should get tossed. This is the time where it might not look or smell like it has gone bad, but there could be enough bacteria in the food to make you sick.

Check out my friend Taylor’s site for a great cheat-sheet printable of food storage times on Home Storage Solutions 101. You can find more information on food storage times at FoodSafety.gov and with this Food Storage Database from the Food Marketing Institute.

How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator from My Fearless Kitchen. Do you know how long you can keep food in the refrigerator? These food storage guidelines will help you keep your refrigerator organized and your food safe!

pinterest-button

So… is it time to clean out your refrigerator? I definitely need to do some excavating in the back of mine!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Holiday Tool Box, Kitchen Tips, Tricks, & More Tagged With: food, food safety, food storage, food storage guidelines, refrigerator, store food in refrigerator

« Mom Knows Best Giveaway!
What Is Gluten? »

Trackbacks

  1. What's in My Refrigerator? - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    09/17/2017 at 10:50 pm

    […] Food Storage Guidelines – How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator […]

  2. How Long Can You Keep Leftovers in the Refrigerator? - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    10/04/2017 at 11:30 am

    […] Label it. Keep a Sharpie in your kitchen and make a habit of labeling all your leftovers as they go in the refrigerator. Use Ziploc bags and label the bag, or stick a piece of masking tape on reusable containers. Label food with what it is and the date you put it in the refrigerator. (This is a good idea for groceries when they come home, too! You can keep track of how long everything has been in there, and know when it’s time to toss old food.) […]

  3. How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    12/27/2017 at 9:04 pm

    […] on how to thaw a whole chicken.) Chicken stored in your refrigerator should be cooked within 1-2 days, so be sure to freeze any chicken you won’t use right […]

  4. What is Buttermilk? - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    04/11/2018 at 11:26 am

    […] How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator […]

  5. How To Store Fresh Produce - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    04/23/2018 at 2:18 pm

    […] you know how long you can keep fresh produce around? Check out this article to see how long you can store fresh produce in the refrigerator. Planning to freeze some for later? […]

  6. How Cold Should My Refrigerator & Freezer Be? - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    05/07/2018 at 2:24 pm

    […] as the temperature is below 40 degrees F (18 degrees C), the food will be safe to eat (following these refrigerator guidelines) or refreeze. Once the temperature rises above 40 degrees F, the food should be thrown […]

  7. Kid-Friendly Cheeseburger Cups - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    05/16/2018 at 9:54 pm

    […] How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator […]

  8. How to Store Strawberries - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    05/19/2018 at 10:36 pm

    […] How Long to Keep Foods in the Refrigerator […]

  9. How to Marinate - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    08/19/2018 at 4:33 pm

    […] bag or other (nonreactive) container with a lid and refrigerate. Marinated poultry can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Marinated beef, pork, veal, and lamb can be stored in the refrigerator for up to […]

  10. How to Thaw a Whole Chicken - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    09/16/2018 at 1:36 pm

    […] This will help to keep any leaks contained and reduce the risk of cross-contamination of other fresh foods in the […]

Comment Policy

I welcome comments and conversation. All comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately. As long as you are respectful and courteous, your comment will be approved.
(Read my comment policy for more details.)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I'm Marybeth, the blogger behind My Fearless Kitchen! Jump in, and let me share what I'm learning about food, farming, quick kitchen tips, and easy recipes to chase the fear out of YOUR kitchen! Read more.
Follow Us On Pinterest

Popular Posts

Half-Sour Refrigerator Pickles

Honey-BBQ Oven-Baked Ribs

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Comment Policy — Disclosures, Disclaimers, & Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · My Fearless Kitchen

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.