DaysAgo: Digital Day Counter

Refrigerator Storage Chart

reproduced from US Food & Drug Administration

Since product dates aren’t a guide for safe use of a product, consult this chart and follow these tips. These short but safe time limits will help keep refrigerated food 40° F (4° C) from spoiling or becoming dangerous.

Food Categories
Baby Food Liquids
Baby Food Solids
Eggs
Deli & Vacuum-Packed Products
Raw Hamburger, Ground & Stew Meat
Ham, Corned Beef
Hot Dogs & Lunch Meats
Soups & Stews
Bacon & Sausage
Fresh Meat (Beef, Veal, Lamb, & Pork)
Meat Leftovers
Fresh Poultry
Cooked Poultry, Leftover
Fish & Shellfish
Pizza
Stuffing
Beverages
Dairy
Dough
Miscellaneous


Product
Refrigerator
Baby Food Liquids  
Expressed breast milk 5 days
Formula 2 days
Whole Milk 5 days
Reconstituted evaporated milk 3-5 days

Baby Food Solids - opened or freshly made  
Strained fruits and vegetables 1 day
Strained meats and eggs 1 day
Meat / vegetable combinations 1-2 days
Homemade baby foods 1-2 days

Eggs  
Fresh, in shell 4 to 5 weeks
Raw yolks, whites 2 to 4 days
Hardcooked 1 week
Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes, opened 3 days
Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes, unopened 10 days
Mayonnaise, commercial
  Refrigerate after opening
2 months

Deli & Vacuum-Packed Products  
Store-prepared (or homemade) egg, chicken, tuna, ham, macaroni salads 3 to 5 days
Pre-stuffed pork & lamb chops, chicken breasts stuffed w/dressing 1 day
Store-cooked convenience meals 3 to 4 days
Commercial brand vacuum-packed dinners with USDA seal, unopened 2 weeks

Raw Hamburger, Ground & Stew Meat
Hamburger & stew meats 1 to 2 days
Ground turkey, veal, pork, lamb 1 to 2 days

Ham, Corned Beef
Corned beef in pouch with pickling juices 5 to 7 days
Ham, canned, labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” unopened 6 to 9 months
Ham, canned, labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” opened 3 to 5 days
Ham, fully cooked, whole 7 days
Ham, fully cooked, half 3 to 5 days
Ham, fully cooked, slices 3 to 4 days

Hot Dogs & Lunch Meats
Hot dogs, opened package 1 week
Hot dogs, unopened package 2 weeks
Lunch meats, opened package 3 to 5 days
Lunch meats, unopened package 2 weeks

Soups & Stews
Vegetable or meat-added & mixtures of them 3 to 4 days

Bacon & Sausage

Bacon 7 days
Sausage, raw from pork, beef, chicken or turkey 1 to 2 days
Smoked breakfast links, patties 7 days
Summer sausage labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” unopened 3 months
Summer sausage labeled “Keep Refrigerated,” opened 3 weeks

Fresh Meat (Beef, Veal, Lamb, & Pork)
Steaks 3 to 5 days
Chops 3 to 5 days
Roasts 3 to 5 days
Variety meats (tongue, kidneys, liver, heart, chitterlings) 1 to 2 days

Meat Leftovers
Cooked meat & meat dishes 3 to 4 days
Gravy & meat broth 1 to 2 days

Fresh Poultry
Chicken or turkey, whole 1 to 2 days
Chicken or turkey, parts 1 to 2 days
Giblets 1 to 2 days

Cooked Poultry, Leftover
Fried chicken 3 to 4 days
Cooked poultry dishes 3 to 4 days
Pieces, plain 3 to 4 days
Pieces covered with broth, gravy 1 to 2 days
Chicken nuggets, patties 1 to 2 days

Fish & Shellfish
Lean fish 1 to 2 days
Fatty fish 1 to 2 days
Cooked fish 3 to 4 days
Smoked fish 14 days
Fresh shrimp, scallops, crawfish, squid, shucked clams, mussels and oysters 1 to 2 days
Canned seafood
  Pantry, 5 years
after opening
3 to 4 days
Live clams, mussels, crab, lobster and oysters 2 to 3 days
Cooked shellfish 3 to 4 days

Pizza  
Pizza 3 to 4 days

Stuffing  
Stuffing - cooked 3 to 4 days

Beverages  
Juices in cartons, fruit drinks, punch 3 weeks unopened;
7 to 10 days opened
Coffee, canned ground, opened 1 month
Coffee, gourmet 3 weeks in paper bag;
1 week in sealed container
Coffee, instant, opened up to 1 month
Diet Soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles), unopened 3 months from "best by" date
Wine (red, white), opened 1 week corked

Dairy  
Butter

1 to 3 months

Buttermilk 7 to 14 days
Cheese, Hard (such as Cheddar, Swiss) 6 months, unopnened;
3 to 4 weeks, opened
Cheese Soft (such as Brie, Bel Paese) 1 week
Cottage Cheese, Ricotta 1 week
Cream Cheese 2 weeks
Cream - whipped, ultrapasteurized 1 month
Cream - whipped, sweetented 1 day
Cream - aerosol can, real whipped cream 3 to 4 weeks
Cream - aerosol can, non-dairy topping 3 months
Cream, Half and Half 3 to 4 days
Eggnog, commercial 3 to 5 days
Margarine 4 to 5 months
Milk 7 days
Pudding package date;
2 days after opening
Sour cream 7 to 21 days
Yogurt 7 to 14 days

Dough  
Tube cans of rolls, biscuits, pizza dough, etc. Use-by-date
Ready-to-bake pie crust Use-by-date
Cookie dough Use-by-date, opened or unopened

Miscellaneous  
Frozen vegetables, opened (freezer)

1 month

Marshmallows, opened (pantry) 3 months
Mayonnaise, opened 2 to 3 months from "purchase by" date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Olives, jarred (green with pimento), opened 3 months
Peanut butter, processed 6 months; refrigeratr after 3 months
Soy Sauce, bottled, opened 3 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)