How long food keeps in the fridge and freezer

Two kinds of bacteria matter in the fridge. Spoilage bacteria grow even in the cold and eventually make food taste and smell bad. Pathogens, which cause foodborne illness, usually don't change how food looks, smells or tastes, so you can't tell they're there. The short fridge times keep food from spoiling or becoming dangerous to eat. A freezer at 0°F keeps food safe indefinitely, so the freezer times are for quality only.

Raw meat, poultry and fish

These times are for a fridge at 40°F or colder and a freezer at 0°F or colder.

• Ground beef, turkey, chicken, pork and other ground meats1 to 2 days in the fridge, 3 to 4 months in the freezer.
• Whole chicken or turkey1 to 2 days in the fridge, 1 year in the freezer.
• Chicken or turkey pieces1 to 2 days in the fridge, 9 months in the freezer.
• Steaks, chops and roasts3 to 5 days in the fridge, 4 to 12 months in the freezer.
• Raw sausage1 to 2 days in the fridge, 1 to 2 months in the freezer.
• Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and catfish1 to 3 days in the fridge, 2 to 3 months in the freezer.
• Shrimp3 to 5 days in the fridge, 6 to 18 months in the freezer.

Cooked, cured and ready to eat

• Leftover cooked meat or poultry3 to 4 days in the fridge, 2 to 6 months in the freezer.
• Soups and stews3 to 4 days in the fridge, 2 to 3 months in the freezer.
• Pizza3 to 4 days in the fridge, 1 to 2 months in the freezer.
• Egg, chicken, tuna, ham and macaroni salads3 to 4 days in the fridge. They don't freeze well.
• Lunch meat3 to 5 days once opened or sliced at the deli, 2 weeks unopened, and 1 to 2 months in the freezer.
• Hot dogs1 week once opened, 2 weeks unopened, and 1 to 2 months in the freezer.
• Bacon1 week in the fridge, 1 month in the freezer.

Eggs

• Raw eggs in the shell3 to 5 weeks in the fridge, in the carton on a shelf rather than the door. Don't freeze them in the shell. Beat the yolks and whites together first.
• Hard-cooked eggs1 week in the fridge. Don't freeze them.

Getting the most from the freezer

Freeze food you won't use soon right away, since food frozen at its best comes out tasting better. Meat and poultry can go in the freezer in their original packaging, though wrapping them again keeps their quality longer. Freezer burn, the grayish-brown leathery spots where air reached the food, doesn't make it unsafe. Cut those spots away before or after cooking. Freezing only makes bacteria inactive, though. Once food thaws, they become active again, so it has to be handled like any other perishable food.

The weekly clean-out

Once a week, throw out perishable food that shouldn't be eaten anymore. Food stored too long in the fridge mostly loses quality, but Listeria grows at cold temperatures and can multiply in the fridge over time. Checking refrigerator and freezer temperatures covers keeping the fridge at 40°F, and Food safety when the power goes out covers what to keep after an outage.