Refrigerating or Freezing Foods

Header Image: 
A woman moving cut yellow squash from the cutting board to a storage bag.

How long can you store foods?


These short but safe time limits for home-refrigerated foods will keep them from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.

Category

Food

Refrigerator (40F or below)

Freezer (0F or below)

Salads

Egg, chicken, ham, tuna, and macaroni salads

3 to 5 days

Does not freeze well

Hot dogs

Opened package

1 week

1 to 2 months

Unopened package

2 weeks

1 to 2 months

Luncheon Meat

Opened package or deli sliced

3 to 5 days

1 to 2 months

Unopened package

2 weeks

1 to 2 months

Bacon and sausage

Bacon

7 days

1 months

Sausage, raw—from chicken, turkey, pork, beef

1 to 2 days

1 to 2 months

Hamburger and other ground meats

Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb, and mixtures of them

1 to 2 days

3 to 4 months

Fresh beef, veal, lamb, and 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

Fresh poultry

Chicken or turkey, whole

1 to 2 days

1 year

Chicken or turkey, pieces

1 to 2 days

9 months

Soups and stews

Vegetable or meat added

3 to 4 days

2 to 3 months

Leftovers

Cooked meat or poultry

3 to 4 days

2 to 6 months

Chicken nuggets or patties

3 to 4 days

1 to 3 months

Pizza

3 to 4 days

1 to 2 months

Partnership for Food Safety Education 2016