Food Safety: Storage Times
Frozen foods retain their safety almost indefinitely. They do however, lose quality. Refrigerated foods have a safe storage window, after which they can spoil and cause food poisoning. Here is a chart for refrigerator and freezer storage times, from food safety.gov. Below is a separate chart for eggs in various forms.
| Category | Food | Refrigerator (40 °F or below) | Freezer (0 °F or below) |
| Salads | Egg, chicken, ham, tuna & macaroni salads | 3 to 5 days | Does not freeze well |
| Hot dogs | opened package | 1 week | 1 to 2 months |
| unopened package | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months | |
| Luncheon meat | opened package or deli sliced | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| unopened package | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months | |
| Bacon & Sausage | Bacon | 7 days | 1 month |
| Sausage, raw — from chicken, turkey, pork, beef | 1 to 2 days | 1 to 2 months | |
| Hamburger & Other Ground Meats | Hamburger, ground beef, turkey, veal, pork, lamb, & mixtures of them | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb & Pork | Steaks | 3 to 5 days | 6 to 12 months |
| Chops | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 6 months | |
| Roasts | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 12 months | |
| Fresh Poultry | Chicken or turkey, whole | 1 to 2 days | 1 year |
| Chicken or turkey, pieces | 1 to 2 days | 9 months | |
| Soups & Stews | Vegetable or meat added | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Leftovers | Cooked meat or poultry | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months |
| Chicken nuggets or patties | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 3 months | |
| Pizza | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
Egg Storage Chart
| Product | Refrigerator | Freezer |
| Raw eggs in shell | 3 to 5 weeks | Do not freeze. Instead, beat yolks and whites together; then freeze. |
| Raw egg whites | 2 to 4 days | 12 months |
| Raw egg yolks | 2 to 4 days | Yolks do not freeze well. |
| Raw egg accidentally frozen in shell | Use immediately after thawing. | Keep frozen; then refrigerate to thaw. |
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week | Do not freeze. |
| Egg substitutes, liquid Unopened | 10 days | 12 months |
| Egg substitutes, liquid Opened | 3 days | Do not freeze. |
| Egg substitutes, frozen Unopened | After thawing, 7 days or refer to “Use-By” date. | 12 months |
| Egg substitutes, frozen Opened | After thawing, 3 days or refer to “Use-By” date. | Do not freeze. |
| Casseroles with eggs | 3 to 4 days | After baking, 2 to 3 months. |
| Eggnog Commercial | 3 to 5 days | 6 months |
| Eggnog Homemade | 2 to 4 days | Do not freeze. |
| Pies Pumpkin or pecan | 3 to 4 days | After baking, 1 to 2 months. |
| Pies Custard and chiffon | 3 to 4 days | Do not freeze. |
| Quiche with filling | 3 to 4 days | After baking, 1 to 2 months. |
