Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Safe Storage Time for Food

Many of us usually guess how much time fresh food and leftovers can be left in the refrigerator and freezer. That could lead to mild or even dangerous food poisoning!
The Food Safety organization developed a very useful chart with safe storage time for raw and cooked food:

Category

Food

Refrigerator
(40 °F or below)

Freezer
(0 °F or below)

Salads

Egg, chicken, ham, tuna & 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 & Sausage

Bacon

7 days

1 month

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

1 to 2 days

1 to 2 months


Hamburger & Other Ground Meats

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

1 to 2 days

3 to 4 months


Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb & 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 & 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


Source: foodsafety.gov

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