How Long Can I Store Foods in the Freezer and Fridge?

How Long Will It Last?

May 22, 2008

The other day I opened my refrigerator and pulled out the gourmet Italian bologna I had been snacking on earlier in the week. However, I was greeted by that gross, gag-inducing old lunchmeat smell. Disappointed and shocked, I wondered: Just how long does fresh sliced deli meat last? I did some research and came across an incredibly useful chart that lists tons of ingredients and how long they last in the fridge or freezer.

According to the chart, my open luncheon meat lasts just three to five days in the fridge. To check out the shelf life of a bunch of common ingredients, read more.

**Food Storage Chart**
Ingredient	Refrigerator	Freezer
Fresh eggs in their shells	3 to 5 weeks	Don't freeze
Raw eggs or yolks, out of the shell	2 to 4 days	1 year
Hard boiled eggs	1 week	Don't freeze well
Store-prepared (or homemade) egg, chicken, ham, tuna, macaroni salads	3 to 5 days	Don't freeze well
Hot dogs, opened package	1 week	1 to 2 months
Hot dogs, unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Luncheon meats, opened package	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Luncheon meats, unopened package	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Bacon	7 days	1 month
Hamburger and stew meat	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Steaks	3 to 5 days	6 to 12 months
Cooked meat and meat casseroles	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Uncooked chicken or turkey, pieces	1 to 2 days	9 months
Cooked Poultry	6 months, unopened 3 to 4 weeks, opened	4 months
Cheese, Hard (such as Cheddar, Swiss)	3 to 4 days	6 months
Cheese Soft (such as Brie, Bel Paese)	1 week	6 months
Cream Cheese	2 weeks	Doesn't freeze well
Milk	7 days	3 months
Butter	1 to 3 months	6 to 9 months
Fresh fish	1 to 2 days	2 to 3 months
Cooked fish	3 to 4 days	4 to 6 months
Shrimp, scallops, crayfish, squid, shucked clams, mussels and oysters	1 to 2 days	3 to 6 months
Cooked shellfish	3 to 4 days	3 months

Don't see your ingredient on the list? Here is the complete list, which has even more items.

Source

25 Comments

Guy2998420 42 weeks 5 days

We're consistently hearing news stories telling us how some wooly mammoth or this or that was discovered in the frozen tundra and that it would be edible if one so chose. As far as I'm concerned, once something's canned or frozen, it can be left as an inheritance to your grandkids.

nikqui 2 years 39 weeks

Another helpful site is: http://www.stilltasty.com/

2 years 39 weeks

This list seems a little..overly cautious. I mean, 3 to 4 days for cheese in the fridge? 1 month for bacon in the freezer? Come on... I've gotten bacon out of the freezer 3 months later and it was still perfectly fine and safe to eat.

3 years 19 weeks

i think that cheese takes quite a while to make and the better the cheese is, the longer it lasts. I just dont let air get to it, and am careful not to touch it with my hands, else mould will start growing. Other than that, taste your food smell your food LOOK at your food. DONT waste it, as we are facing a world food crisis.

Bettyesque 4 years 47 weeks

Luncheon meets ... really?

Babycakes1234 4 years 49 weeks

This is why there is so much waste...markets have to throw things out according to standards like this. I know most of my items last longer than this and I've never had a problem.

Hautie 5 years 1 day

Deli meats.... for me... I love the Boar's Head smoked turkey breast that is sliced in the deli. But I have learned it will spoil within 4 days. If I get it on Sunday... there is a huge chance it will be spoiled by Thursday morning. Keeping in mind it is 8.99 a pound, I rarely purchase more than a half pound. But it is annoying that it does spoil that quick. Yet, the lunch meats that are prepackage... like the Hillshire Farms deli ham thin sliced... will last a week at least. I also agree with all the comments about hard cheese's lasting for week in the frig. I keep super sharp cheddar for weeks... without issue. But I know if you allow it to get to room temp. it seems to cause molding to happen very quickly.

caryatid 5 years 1 day

i go by "better safe than sorry". too many bad encounters with spoiled milk =(

terryt18 5 years 2 days

I find these time frames to be quite conservative. I rely on the expiration date and the look, texture, and smell of the product.

ElleJay 5 years 2 days

I'm confused- is this when these items are already in a recipie, or just sitting in the fridge- cuz my open cheeses (hard) last weeks, even months w/o mold or tasting bad. And milk I always go by the exp. date on the jug which is way longer than what this chart says.

Angelica 5 years 2 days

Wow, this is a really interesting chart, partysugar! I have a really big problem with finishing food before the expiration date. I appreciate this.

WineUnleashed 5 years 2 days

The FDA chart is VERY conservative. I a VERY safe guideline that I would use just as a rough guideline. I like the link Tidalwave posted. Except for their wine notes: Wine (red, white) Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked AARRRGGGHH!!! Ok, if it is a inexpensive wine (under $15) then yes, please consume within 3 yrs of the vintage date. But the rest of the wines in the world don't fall into the 20+ rule. Take for example a quality Pinot from California.... I wouldn't age one past 8 years. While a French Burgundy (Pinot Noir) could age up to 20. I am afraid to report that aging wine is more complex than English grammar.

shmuffin123 5 years 2 days

I'm in disagreement with the a few as well, particularly the hard cheese. If people followed this then imagine the amount of food waste....I believe saavy or citizen had a graphic illustrating America's current food waste...now apply this chart...It'll double!

TidalWave 5 years 2 days

This is useful too: http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/print/0,22304,676079,00.html

ragus 5 years 2 days

Well I'm from the Great North West (God's Country!) and things seem to last longer than they do down here in Texas... Maybe its the humidity... but things don't go stale/hard like back home they go soggy/mushy like ... its interesting to see the differences in food storage

0danielle0 5 years 2 days

Thank you! I'm overly paranoid by this topic. :P

Liss 5 years 2 days

I have had cheese in my fridge for like a month and it's still good. This is a handy list though, Thanks!

gigill 5 years 2 days

Thanks for this handy list.

CJaneTyp 5 years 3 days

I don't believe that about the cheese OR lunch meat and also the cooked poultry certainly does not last in the fridge for six months.

ABBYmarieLOVE 5 years 3 days

well i dont beleive the whole hard cheese only lasts that long. i worked in a deli and did alot of work in the specialty cheese department, and we did cheeses every month. Usually you just trim it and its still goood. cheese has a long shelf life. and deli meats vary, poultry, about 4-5 days tops because it has so much moisture, and ham lasts longer than poultry. but like salami, and bologna have longer. like salami can last for up 2 two weeks.

emalove 5 years 3 days

I feel like the deli meat that comes pre-packaged lasts longer, doesn't it? When my husband and I buy sliced, fresh meat from the deli, we throw any leftovers out after 4 or 5 days.