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Food Storage Guidelines

 
Food Storage Guidelines
food-storage-guidelines
Our Food Storage Guidelines Charts show you how long to safely store various foods.  in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer including safe storage temperatures. Avoid spoilage and food waste, keep your family safe. Pantry storage tips. Learn the correct packaging to use for pantry and freezer. View or print the charts for breads and cereal products, packaged foods and mixes, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meats, fish, poultry and eggs.
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Published by: Gourmet Sleuth

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Storage Basics

The following guidelines are based on storage from the "date of purchase". If there is a "use by" date, cook or freeze the product by that date. If there is an "expiration date" (EXCEPT FOR EGGS which last several weeks longer) then abide by the date. Best by dates are only best quality guidelines and are NOT safety dates. Foods are usable beyond those dates as shown on the chart below.
Click here to read more about food expiration dates, laws and history.

Bread And Cereal Products

Food Pantry (Room Temperature Refrigerator (33°F to 40°F) Freezer (0°F)
Baked quick breads 4-5 days 1-2 weeks 2-3 months
Bread 5-7 days 1-2 weeks 3 months
Bread crumbs and croutons 6 months

Bread rolls, unbaked
2-3 weeks 1 month
Cereals, ready-to-eat 2-3 months
1 year
Cereals, ready-to-cook 6 months

Corn meal 1 year 18 months 2 years
Doughnuts 4-5 days
3 months
Flour, cake, all-purpose 1 year
1-2 years
Flour, whole wheat
6-8 months 1-2 years
Pasta 2 years

Pies and pastries
3 days 4-6 months
Pies and pastries, baked

1-2 months
Pies and pastries, cream filled
2-3 days 3 months
Pizza
3-4 days 1-2 months
Rice, brown 6 months

Rice, white 1 year 6-7 days+ 6 months+
Tacos, enchiladas, and burritos (frozen)
2 weeks 1 year
Waffles
4-5 days 1 month

Packaged Foods And Mixes

Food Pantry (Room Temperature)
 Refrigerator
(33°F to 40°F)		 Freezer
(0°F)
muffin mixes 9 months

Cakes, prepared 2-4 days
2-3 months
Cake mixes 6-9 months

Casserole mix 9-12 months

Chili powder 6 months

Cookies, packaged 2 months
8-12 months
Crackers, pretzels 3 months

Frosting, canned 3 months

Frosting, mix 8 months

Fruit cake
2-3 months 1 year
Hot roll mix 18 months
Instant breakfast products 6 months

Pancake and piecrust mix 6 months

Pancake waffle batter
1-2 days 3 months
Toaster pastries 3 months

Sauce and gravy mixes 6 months

Soup mixes 1 year

Spices, Herbs, Condiments, Extracts


Catsup, chili, and cocktail sauce 1 month* 6 months 1 year
Herbs 6 months
1-2 years
Herb/spice blends 2 years
1-2 years
Mustard 2 years 6-8 months* 8-12 months
Spices, ground 6 months
1-2 years
Spices, whole 1-2 years
2-3 years
Vanilla extract 2 years

Other extracts 1 year

Other Food Staples


Bacon bits 4 months

Baking powder 18 months
Baking soda 2 years

Bouillon products 1 year

Carbonated soft drinks (12 oz. cans) 6-9 months
Carbonated soft drinks, diet (12 oz. cans) 3-4 months
Chocolate, premelted 1 year

Chocolate syrup 2 years 6 months*
Chocolate, semisweet 2 years

Chocolate, unsweetened 18 months
Cocoa mixes 8 months

Coconut, shredded 1 year 8 months 1 year
Coffee cans 2 years 2 months 6 months
Coffee, instant 6 months

Coffee, vacuum-packed 1 year ^

Coffee lighteners (dry) 9 months
1 year
Cornstarch 18 months
2 years
Gelatin 18 months

Honey, jams, jellies, and syrup 1 year 6-8 months*
Marshmallows 2-3 months
Marshmallow cream 3-4 months
Mayonnaise 2-3 months 12 months
Molasses 2 years

Nuts, shelled 4 months 6 months
Nuts, unshelled 6 months

Nuts, salted

6-8 months
Nuts, unsalted

9-12 months
Oil, salad 3 months^

Parmesan grated cheese 10 months
Pasteurized process cheese spread 3 months 3-4 weeks* 4 months
Peanut butter 6 months

Popcorn 1-2 years 2 years 2-3 years
Pectin 1 year

Salad dressings, bottled 1 year^ 3 months*
Soft drinks 3 months

Artificial sweetener 2 years

Sugar, brown 4 months

Sugar, confectioners 18 months

Sugar, granulated 2 years

Tea bags 18 months

Tea, instant 2 years

Vegetable oils 6 months

Vegetable shortening 3 months 6-9 months
Vinegar 2 years

Water, bottled 1-2 years

Whipped topping (dry) 1 year

Yeast, dry Pkg. exp. date

Vegetables

Food Pantry (Room Temperature) Refrigerator
(33°F to 40°F) 		Freezer
(0°F)
Asparagus
2-3 days 8 months
Beets
2 weeks
Broccoli
3-5 days
Brussels sprouts
3-5 days
Cabbage
1 week
Carrots
2 weeks
Cauliflower
1 week
Celery
1 week
Corn (husks)
1-2 days 8 months
Cucumbers
1 week
Eggplant
1 week
Green beans
1-2 days 8 months
Green peas
3-5 days 8 months
Lettuce
1 week
Lima beans
3-5 days 8 months
Mushrooms
2 days
Onions 1 week 3-5 days
Onion rings (precooked, frozen)

1 year#
Peppers
1 week
Pickles, canned 1 year 1 month*
Frozen potatoes

8 month
Sweet potatoes 2-3 weeks

White potatoes 2-3 months
Potato chips 1 month

Radishes
2 weeks
Rhubarb
3-5 days
Rutabagas 1 week

Snap beans
1 week
Spinach 8 months
Squash, Summer
3-5 days
Squash, Winter 1 week

Tomatoes
1 week
Turnips
2 weeks
Commercial baby food, jars 1-2 years^ 2-3 days
Canned vegetables 1 year^ 1-4 days*
Canned vegetables, pickled 1 year^ 1-2 months*
Dried vegetables 6 months

Frozen vegetables

8 months
Vegetable soup
3-4 days 3 months

Fruits

Food Pantry (Room Temperature) Refrigerator
(33°F to 40°F) 		Freezer
(0°F)
Apples Until ripe 1 month
Apricots Until ripe 5 days
Avocados Until ripe 5 days
Bananas Until ripe 5 days (fully ripe)
Berries Until ripe 3 days 1 year
Canned fruit 1 year 2-4 days*
Canned fruit juices 1 year 3-4 days*
Cherries Until ripe 3 days
Citrus fruit Until ripe 2 weeks
Dried fruit 6 months 2-4 days+
Frozen fruit

1 year
Fruit juice concentrate
6 days 1 year
Fruit pies, baked
2-3 days 8 months
Grapes Until ripe 5 days
Melons Until ripe 5 days
Nectarines Until ripe 5 days
Peaches Until ripe 5 days 1 year
Pears Until ripe 5 days 1 year
Pineapple Until ripe 5-7 days 1 year
Plums Until ripe 5 days

Dairy Products

Food Pantry (Room Temperature) Refrigerator
(33°F to 40°F) 		Freezer
(0°F)
Butter
1-2 months 9 months
Buttermilk
2 weeks
Cottage cheese
1 week 3 months
Cream cheese
2 weeks
Cream-light, heavy, half- and-half
3-4 days 1-4 months
Eggnog commercial
3-5 days 6 months
Margarine
4-5 months 12 months
Condensed, evaporated and dry milk 12-23 months^ 8-20 days*
Milk
8-20 days
Ice cream and sherbet

2 months
Hard natural cheese (e.g. cheddar, swiss)
3-6 months 6 months


4 weeks*
Hard natural cheese, sliced
2 weeks
Processed cheese
1 month 6 months
Soft cheese (e.g. brie)
1 week 6 months
Pudding
1-2 days*
Snack dips
1 week*
Sour cream
2 weeks
Non-dairy whipped cream, canned
3 months
Real whipped cream, canned
3-4 weeks
Yogurt
2 weeks 1-2 months

Meats

Food Pantry (Room Temperature) Refrigerator
(33°F to 40°F)
Freezer
(0°F)
Fresh beef and bison steaks
3-5 days 6-9 months
Fresh beef and bison roasts
3-5 days 9-12 months
Fresh pork chops
2-3 days 4-6 months
Fresh lamb chops
3-5 days 6-8 months
Fresh veal
1-2 days 4-6 months
Fresh ground meat (e.g. beef, bison, veal, lamb)
1 day 3-4 months
Cooked meat
2-3 days 2-3 months
Canned meat 1 year 3-4 days* 3-4 months
Ham, whole
1 week 1-2 months
Ham, canned 1 year 1 week* 3-4 months
Ham, canned "keep refrigerated"
6-9 months


1 week* 3-4 months
Shelf-stable unopened canned meat (e.g. chili, deviled ham, corn beef) 1 year 1week*
Ham, cook before eating
1 week
Ham, fully cooked
2 weeks


1 week*
Ham, dry-cured 1 year 1 month
Ham salad, store prepared or homemade
3-5 days
Bacon
2 weeks 1 month


1 week*
Corned beef, uncooked
5-7 days 1-2 months
Restructured (flaked) meat products

9-12 months
Sausage, fresh
1-2 days 1-2 months
Smoked breakfast sausage links, patties
1 week 2 months
Sausage, smoked (e.g. Mettwurst)
1 week 1-2 months
Sausage, semi-dry (e.g. Summer sausage)
2-3 weeks* 6 months
Sausage, dry smoked (e.g. Pepperoni, jerky, dry Salami) 1 year 1 month* 6 months
Frankfurters, bologna
2 weeks 1-2 months


3-5 days*
Luncheon meat
2 weeks 1 month


3-5 days*
Meat gravies
1-2 days 2-3 months
TV beef and pork dinners

18 months#
Meat based casseroles
3-4 days 4 months
Variety meats (giblets, tongue, liver, heart, etc.)
1-2 days 3-4 months
Vinegar pickled meats (e.g. pickled pigs feet) 1 year^ 2 weeks*

Fish

Food Pantry (Room Temperature) Refrigerator
(33°F to 40°F) 		Freezer
(0°F)
Breaded fish

4-6 months
Canned fish 1 year 1-2 days*
Cooked fish or seafood
3-4 days 3 months
Lean fish (e.g. cod, flounder, haddock)
1-2 days 6 months
Fatty fish (e.g. bluefish, salmon, mackeral)
1-2 days 2-3 months
Dry pickled fish
3-4 weeks
Smoked fish
2 weeks 4-5 weeks
Seafood-clams, crab, lobster in shell
2 days 3 months
Seafood-oysters and scallops
1-2 days 3-4 months
Seafood-shrimp
1-2 days 1 year
Seafood-shucked clams
1-2 days 3-6 months
Tuna salad, store prepared or homemade
3-5 days

Poultry And Eggs

Food Pantry (Room Temperature) Refrigerator (33°F to 40°F) Freezer (0°F)
Chicken nuggets or patties
1-2 days
Chicken livers
1-2 days 3 months
Chicken and poultry TV dinners

6 months
Canned poultry^ 1 year 1 day*
Cooked poultry
2-3 days 4-6 months
Fresh poultry
1 day 1 year
Frozen poultry parts

6-9 months
Canned poultry
1 day 3 months
Poultry pies, stews, and gravies
1-2 days 6 months
Poultry salads, store prepared or homemade
3-5 days
Poultry stuffing, cooked
3-4 days 1 month
Eggs, in shell
3-5 weeks
Eggs, hard-boiled
1 week
Eggs, pasteurized
10 days 1 year


3 days*
Egg substitute
10 days 1 year


3 days*
Egg yolks (covered in water)
2-4 days 1 year
Egg whites (For each cup of egg yolk add 1 Tbs. of sugar or salt) 2-4 days 1 year
Wild Game


Frog legs
1 day 6-9 months
Game birds
2 days 9 months
Small game (rabbit, squirrel, etc.)
2 days 9-12 months
Venison ground meat
1-2 days 2-3 months
Venison steaks and roasts
3-5 days 9-12 months

Virginia Cooperative Extension  Legend: *Opened +Cooked ^Refrigerate after opening #After manufacture date.

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