 Refrigerated Foods and the Length of Time Before They Spoil
There are things to remember when you are putting things into the
fridge. If you eat out of a container of food, you have introduced
bacteria into the food making it spoiler faster. You
can't always see mold. And, when placing leftovers into the
fridge, remember that the bigger the bowl, the longer it takes to
cool. So, before it cools down, bacteria can begin to grow on it.
So, to be safe, we have a list for you to use as a guideline on when
to discard leftovers.
| Food Item |
Lasts |
| DAIRY |
| Butter |
1-3 months |
| Cheese |
1-4 weeks |
| Eggs |
3-5 weeks |
| Eggs (hard-boiled) |
1 week |
| Milk |
5 days |
| MEAT |
| Bacon |
1 week |
| Beef, ground |
1-2 days |
| Beef steaks and roasts |
3-5 days |
| Chicken |
1-2 days |
| Fish |
1-2 days |
| Ground lamb |
1-2 days |
| Hotdogs (opened package)
|
1 week |
| Hotdogs (unopened package)
|
2 weeks |
| Lunchmeat |
3-5 days |
| Pork chops |
3-5 days |
| Pork roasts |
3-5 days |
| Pork,
ground |
1-2 days |
| Turkey,
ground |
1-2 days |
| PRODUCE |
| Berries |
3-5 days |
| Vegetables, cooked or
uncooked |
3-5 days |
| CONDIMENTS, LEFTOVERS, MISC. |
| Baby food |
1-3 days |
| Egg/Chicken/Tuna/Ham salad
|
3-5 days |
| Ketchup, peanut butter, jelly
|
6 months |
| Gravy |
1-2 days |
| Leftovers |
3-4 days |
| Mayonnaise |
2 months |
| Mustard |
Use within 1 year of opening |
| Salad dressing |
3 months |
| Pasta sauce |
5 days |
| Pizza |
3-4 days |
| Salsa |
1 month |
| Soy sauce |
Use within 1 year of opening |
| Worcestershire
sauce |
Use within 1 year of opening |
|
