The amount of time a food item remains in the refrigerator or freezer can significantly affect both its quality and safety. If a food is left in the refrigerator too long, it will spoil or have too much bacteria. Foods left in the freezer longer than suggested will suffer significantly in quality.
The Food Danger Zone
The food Danger Zone is the temperature range between 40 and 140°F. In the Danger Zone, bacteria multiply rapidly, and if food stays in the Danger Zone for more than two hours, bacteria levels will be high enough to cause food poisoning.
Commercial refrigerators are designed to store foods at temperatures below 40 °F. When foods are below 40°F but still above freezing, bacteria can still reproduce, only at a very slow rate. So foods can only be kept in the refrigerator for a certain number of days before they begin to spoil or pose a food safety threat.
Bacteria are dormant (do not reproduce) when temperatures are at or below 0°F, so frozen foods can be kept safe indefinitely. The suggested freezer storage times are for quality purposes only. The longer an item remains in the freezer, the more likely it is to develop freezer burn or other low-quality characteristics.
The following table outlines the appropriate storage times for foods found in most commercial kitchens:
Food Product
Condition
Refrigerator Storage Time
Freezer Storage Time
Shelled Eggs
Uncooked
4 to 5 weeks
Do not freeze
Mayonnaise
Refrigerate after opening
2 months
Do not freeze
Ground Meat (hamburger, turkey, pork, etc)
Raw
1 to 2 days
3 to 4 months
Ham
Whole - Cooked
Halved - Cooked
Slices - Cooked
7 days
3 to 5 days
3 to 4 days
1 to 2 months
1 to 2 months
1 to 2 months
Hot Dogs
Raw Opened Package
Raw Unopened Package
1 to 2 months
1 to 2 months
Soups and Stews
Vegetables or Meat Added
3 to 4 days
2 to 3 months
Sausage
Raw
1 to 2 days
1 to 2 months
Fresh Meat (Beef, Veal, Lamp, Pork)
Raw
3 to 5 days
- Steaks - 6 to 12 months
- Chops – 4 to 6 months
- Roasts – 4 to 12 months
Fresh Poultry
Raw
1 to 2 days
- Whole Birds – 1 year
- Parts – 9 months
Leftovers
2 to 3 months
- Fried Chicken – 4 months
- Cooked Dishes – 4 to 6 months
- Pieces – 4 months
Fish
1 to 2 days
3 to 4 days
14 days
- Lean – 6 months
- Fatty – 2 to 3 months
4 to 6 months
2 months
Shellfish
Raw
1 to 2 days
3 to 6 months