The Correct Times We Can Store Food in the Refrigerator
We go the grocery store and come home with bags overflowing with a vast array of our favorite foods and then we proceed to put away this delicious assortment of fresh food; fish, meats, poultry, vegetables, eggs, dairy products and fruits.
But do you ever wonder just how long we can store food in the refrigerator and keep our food at the desired freshness to maintain a healthy diet?
A lot depends on how fresh the food was when we purchased it, expiration dates are there for a reason, so pay close attention to them.
And always keep the temperature in the refrigerator between 34 and 40℉ (2 to 4℃), this will keep foods fresher for much longer.
The following food storage times are from the Office of Environmental Health; hopefully they are useful and allow you to enjoy a healthier diet while saving money by avoiding food waste:
Meat
Raw ground meat: 1-2 days.
Steaks: 2-5 days.
Chops: 2-5 days.
Fresh pork: 3 days.
Raw roasts: 1-2 days.
Smoked ham: 1 week.
Stew meat: 1-2 days.
Raw livers, raw heart, raw kidneys and other variety meats: 1-2 days.
Broiled, fried or roasted meat and gravies made with meat stock: 2-3 days.
Frozen packaged meats: 2-3 days.
Cold cuts, opened: 3-5 days. Unopened, 4-7 days.
Meat pies, cooked stews, casseroles containing meat, meat salads: 2-3 days.
Sliced bacon, unopened: 2 weeks. Opened: 5-7 days.
Fish and Seafood
Frozen fish: use immediately.
Cooked fish: 3-4 days.
Fresh fish: 1-2 days.
Smoked salmon, etc: 1-2 days.
Lox: 3 days.
Kippered cod, smoked whiting: 6-7 days.
Fish salads and sandwich fillings: 1 day.
Bisques, broth, chowders, stews: 1-2 days.
Shrimp, fresh (uncooked): 1 day.
Crab, in shell: 2 days.
Scallops: 1 day.
Lobster tails, in shell: 2 days.
Clams, in shell: 2 days. Shucked: 1 day.
Oysters: 1 day.
Dried or pickled fish: 1 week.
Poultry
Poultry, frozen: 2 days after defrosting.
Fresh whole poultry: 1-2 days.
Fresh poultry cut in pieces: 1-2 days.
Cooked poultry: 2-3 days.
Duck: 2 days.
Poultry stuffing: 1 day.
Poultry Salads: 1 day.
Poultry pies, stews, creamed dishes, and gravies made with poultry stock: 1 day.
Dairy
Milk, homogenized or skimmed: 1 week.
Pasteurized fresh whole or skimmed milk, sweet cream, flavored milk drinks: 10-14 days from sell by date on carton.
Sour cream, buttermilk, cultured milk: 2 weeks.
Sweetened & condensed milk (opened): 1 week.
Evaporated milk (opened): 1 week.
Whipped topping, aerosol can: 3 months. Prepared from mix: 3 days. Frozen: 2 weeks (once thawed).
Yogurt: 7-10 days.
Soft custards, milk puddings, cream and custard fillings for cakes and pies: 5-6 days.
Natural hard cheese, semi-hard cheese, processed cheeses (cheddar, swiss, parmesan, bleu, etc.): 1 month. Mold on the outside of a cheese block may be trimmed off.
Soft cheeses (cream, cottage, limburger, camembert): 1 week.
Cheese spreads: 1 month.
Fruit
Grapes: 3-5 days.
Peaches, apricots, pears, avocados, nectarines, plums: 3-5 days.
Melons: 1 week.
Apples: 1 month.
Citrus: 2 weeks.
Berries, cherries: 1-2 days.
Cranberries: 1 week.
Pineapples, whole: 1 week. Cut: 2-3 days.
Vegetables
Brussels sprouts, broccoli, dried peas, summer squash: 3-5 days.
Cabbage, carrots, radishes, celery, parsnips, beets: 1-2 weeks.
Head of lettuce (unwashed): 5-7 days. Washed: 3-5 days.
Bib lettuce: 1-2 days.
Mustard greens, spinach, kale, beet turnip, chard, collard: 3-5 days.
Asparagus: 1-2 days.
Peppers, cucumbers: 1 week.
Tomatoes: 1-2 days.
Cauliflower, eggplants, snap beans: 1 week.
Corn, in husk: 1-2 days.
Mushrooms: 1-2 days.
Beans, lima, green, waxed: 3-5 days.
Rhubarb: 3-5 days.
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