Pantry, Fridge & Freezer Shelf-Life Chart
USDA-sourced storage times for eggs, dairy, raw meat, leftovers, deli meat, and pantry staples.
"Best by" dates are about peak quality, not the day food turns dangerous. The numbers below are USDA storage guidance for how long common foods stay safe and good to eat once opened or cooked, assuming a refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below and a freezer at 0°F (-18°C) or below. Freezing longer than these windows won't make food unsafe, since anything held at 0°F stays safe indefinitely, but texture and flavor start to slip.
Eggs and dairy
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh eggs, in shell | 3–5 weeks | Don't freeze in the shell |
| Raw egg whites or yolks | 2–4 days | 12 months |
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week | Doesn't freeze well |
| Milk | About 1 week after opening | 3 months (texture changes) |
Raw poultry and meat
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Raw poultry, whole | 1–2 days | 1 year |
| Raw poultry, pieces | 1–2 days | 9 months |
| Raw ground meat (beef, turkey, pork, lamb) | 1–2 days | 3–4 months |
| Raw steaks and chops | 3–5 days | 4–12 months |
| Raw roasts | 3–5 days | 4–12 months |
Leftovers and deli meat
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked meat or poultry leftovers | 3–4 days | 2–6 months |
| Soups and stews with meat | 3–4 days | 2–3 months |
| Deli meat, opened or store-sliced | 3–5 days | 1–2 months |
| Deli meat, unopened package | 2 weeks | 1–2 months |
Pantry staples
Shelf-stable foods live outside the cold-storage rules above. These are quality windows, not safety cutoffs — a can past its date isn't automatically bad, but check for rust, dents, or a swollen lid before opening.
| Food | Shelf life |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 6–8 months at room temperature; up to a year refrigerated |
| White rice | Up to 2 years |
| Canned goods, high-acid (tomatoes, fruit) | 12–18 months |
| Canned goods, low-acid (vegetables, meat, soup) | 2–5 years |
How to use this chart
The refrigerator numbers assume the food went in the fridge within two hours of cooking or purchase (one hour if the room is above 90°F). If you're not sure how long something sat out, the safer move is to toss it. For portioning cooked food before it goes in the fridge or freezer, our recipe scaler can help you right-size a batch, and the guide to storing prepped vegetables covers produce specifically, which follows different rules than meat and dairy.
Source: FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service), cross-checked against FSIS's Refrigeration and Food Safety guidance.