How long does it last?

Fridge, freezer and pantry shelf life for 375 foods — with storage tips and the signs that it has gone bad.

Chicken Breast Ground Beef Eggs Milk Cooked Rice Pizza Bacon Salmon Cooked Chicken Bread Butter Cheddar Cheese

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Dairy Milk, cheese, yogurt, butter and plant-based milks. 28 foods Meat Beef, pork, lamb, bacon, sausages and ham. 24 foods Poultry Chicken, turkey and duck, raw and cooked. 13 foods Seafood Fresh fish, shellfish, smoked fish and sushi. 19 foods Eggs Shell eggs, cooked eggs, egg dishes and egg products. 8 foods Fruits Berries, citrus, stone fruit, melons, tropical and dried fruit. 31 foods Vegetables Leafy greens, roots, alliums, squash and more. 34 foods Grains & Bread Bread, rice, pasta, flour, sugar and baking staples. 30 foods Condiments & Sauces Mayo, ketchup, mustard, oils, dressings, jams and pickles. 31 foods Beverages Juice, coffee, tea, soda, wine, beer and spirits. 16 foods Deli & Prepared Foods Lunch meat, cured meats, dips, deli salads and tofu. 20 foods Leftovers Pizza, takeout, soups, casseroles and cooked meats. 22 foods Nuts & Seeds Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, nut butters and seeds. 16 foods Herbs & Spices Fresh herbs, dried herbs, ground and whole spices. 15 foods Baked Goods Cakes, pies, cookies, muffins, donuts and pastries. 16 foods Frozen Foods Ice cream, frozen vegetables, frozen meals and more. 13 foods Canned Goods Canned fish, beans, tomatoes, soups, broth and canned milk. 18 foods Baby Food Jars, pouches, homemade purées, formula and breast milk. 6 foods Snacks Chips, crackers, chocolate, candy, granola and jerky. 15 foods

The four rules that cover most of it

The 2-hour rule

Perishable food should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when it is above 90°F (32°C). After that, bacteria have had time to multiply to unsafe levels and reheating will not reliably fix it.

Leftovers: 3–4 days

Nearly every cooked dish keeps 3–4 days in the fridge. If you will not eat it by then, freeze it. Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C).

40°F and 0°F

Every time on this site assumes a refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or colder and a freezer at 0°F (−18°C). A cheap appliance thermometer is the single best food-safety tool you can buy.

Frozen is paused, not dated

Food kept constantly frozen at 0°F stays safe indefinitely. Freezer times are about quality — flavor, texture and freezer burn — not safety.

Most looked-up foods

Food	Fridge	Freezer	Pantry
Chicken Breast Raw	1–2 days	9 months	Not safe
Ground Beef Raw	1–2 days	3–4 months	Not safe
Eggs Raw	3–5 weeks	Not recommended	Not safe
Milk Opened	1 week	3 months	Not safe
Cooked Rice Cooked	3–4 days	6 months	Not safe
Pizza Cooked	3–4 days	1–2 months	Not safe
Bacon Opened	1 week	1 month	Not safe
Salmon Raw	1–2 days	2–3 months	Not safe
Cooked Chicken Cooked	3–4 days	2–4 months	Not safe
Bread Store-bought	Not recommended	3 months	5–7 days
Butter Opened	1–3 months	6–9 months	1–2 days
Cheddar Cheese Opened	3–4 weeks	6 months	Not recommended
Yogurt Unopened	1–2 weeks	1–2 months	Not safe
Deli Turkey Opened	3–5 days	1–2 months	Not safe
Hot Dogs Opened	1 week	1–2 months	Not safe
Shrimp Raw	1–2 days	3–6 months	Not safe
Cooked Pasta Cooked	3–5 days	1–2 months	Not safe
Avocado Ripe	3–5 days	Not recommended	1–2 days
Strawberries Whole	3–7 days	8–12 months	1 day
Lettuce Whole, iceberg or romaine	1–2 weeks	Not recommended	Not recommended
Mayonnaise Opened	2 months	Not recommended	Not recommended
Hummus Opened	5–7 days	4 months	Not safe
Tofu Opened	3–5 days	3–5 months	Not safe
Wine Opened	3–5 days	3 months	1–3 days

See all 375 foods A–Z

What the dates on the package mean

With the exception of infant formula, date labels in the United States are not federally required and are not safety dates. “Sell by” tells the store how long to display the product. “Best if used by” is the manufacturer’s estimate of peak quality. “Use by” is the last date recommended for peak quality — and should be treated as a hard limit only on infant formula.

What actually determines safety at home is how long the food has been open and how cold it has been kept, which is what the times on this site describe.