How to use this guide
Every kitchen eventually faces the same question: is this still good? This guide gathers typical storage times for the foods most home cooks buy, organized by category, so you can answer that question quickly and waste less. For each food you will find how long it generally keeps in the pantry, the refrigerator, and the freezer, along with the signs that it is past its best.
The times below are general guidelines for food that was fresh when purchased and has been stored correctly — a refrigerator at or below 40°F (4°C) and a freezer at 0°F (−18°C). They are consistent with widely published public food-safety guidance, such as that from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service and Health Canada, but they are not guarantees. Temperature swings, how long food sat in a warm car, how often the fridge door opens, and the condition of the food when you bought it all shorten real-world shelf life. When a package gives more specific instructions, follow the package.
Two principles run through everything that follows. First, fridge times protect safety, while freezer times mostly protect quality: food held at 0°F (−18°C) stays safe indefinitely because bacteria cannot grow, but flavor and texture slowly decline. Second, your senses are useful but not sufficient. Food that looks, smells, and tastes spoiled should be discarded, but some of the most dangerous bacteria — Listeria and Salmonella among them — can be present without any visible change at all. Time and temperature are more reliable than a sniff test.
Understanding date labels
Most dates printed on food describe quality, not safety. A "best before" or "best if used by" date is the manufacturer's estimate of how long an unopened product will keep its peak flavor and texture when stored as directed. Many foods remain perfectly safe to eat after that date — dry pasta, canned goods, and crackers may simply be a little less vibrant. Once a package is opened, however, the printed date no longer applies and the opened-product times in this guide take over.
Stricter dates exist for a small number of products. In Canada, an "expiration date" appears on items such as infant formula, meal replacements, and some nutritional supplements, and those products should not be used after it. In the United States, infant formula is the only product where a federal use-by date is required. "Sell by" and "packed on" dates are mainly for retailers managing stock; they tell you how fresh a product is, not when it becomes unsafe.
A useful habit is to note the date you open a jar or package directly on the lid with a marker. That single step turns vague memories ("I think I opened this last month?") into a clear answer and makes the opened-product times below easy to apply.
Fresh produce
Produce shelf life varies more than any other category because fruits and vegetables are still alive after harvest, breathing and ripening. Leafy greens such as spinach, lettuce, and kale keep roughly 3 to 7 days in the crisper drawer, longer if wrapped loosely in a dry towel inside a container. Soft herbs like cilantro, parsley, and basil last about 1 to 2 weeks when trimmed and stood in a glass of water like cut flowers — basil at room temperature, the others covered loosely in the fridge. Berries are the most fragile fruit, lasting about 3 to 7 days refrigerated; wash them only just before eating, because surface moisture accelerates mold.
Sturdier vegetables go much further. Carrots, cabbage, and beets keep 3 to 4 weeks or more in the fridge; broccoli, cauliflower, and bell peppers about 1 week; mushrooms about 3 to 7 days in a paper bag, which absorbs moisture better than plastic. Apples keep several weeks refrigerated, while citrus fruits last about a week on the counter and up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
Some produce does better outside the refrigerator. Whole potatoes and sweet potatoes keep 1 to 2 months (sweet potatoes 3 to 5 weeks) in a cool, dark, ventilated place; onions and garlic keep 1 to 2 months or longer in a cool, dry spot — stored separately from potatoes, which they encourage to sprout. Tomatoes, bananas, avocados, peaches, and mangoes should ripen on the counter; once ripe, a day or two in the fridge slows them down, though cold dulls tomato flavor.
In the freezer, most vegetables keep 8 to 12 months at good quality if blanched first — briefly boiled and then plunged into ice water to halt the enzymes that cause off-flavors and color loss. Fruit for smoothies and baking freezes well for 8 to 12 months spread on a tray and then bagged. Signs that produce has turned include sliminess, a sour or fermented smell, mold, and deep wrinkling or soft, weeping spots. Limp but otherwise clean vegetables are often still fine for soups, stocks, and stir-fries.
Meat and poultry
Raw meat and poultry have the shortest refrigerator lives of any common groceries, which is why they reward planning. Raw chicken and turkey, whether whole or in pieces, keep 1 to 2 days in the fridge. Ground meat of any kind — beef, pork, lamb, poultry — also keeps only 1 to 2 days, because grinding spreads surface bacteria throughout. Whole cuts such as steaks, chops, and roasts of beef, pork, or lamb keep 3 to 5 days. Store raw meat on the lowest shelf in a rimmed container so juices cannot drip onto other foods.
Cured and processed meats last longer but still have limits. Unopened packages of deli meat keep about 2 weeks; once opened, use them within 3 to 5 days. Hot dogs keep about 2 weeks unopened and 1 week opened. Uncooked bacon keeps about 1 week refrigerated. Cooked meat and poultry of any kind should be eaten within 3 to 4 days.
The freezer extends these windows dramatically. For best quality, use ground meat within 3 to 4 months, steaks and chops within 4 to 12 months, roasts within 4 to 12 months, poultry pieces within about 9 months, and whole birds within a year. Cooked meat dishes keep best for 2 to 3 months. Freeze meat in its original packaging only for short stays; for longer storage, overwrap tightly or transfer to freezer bags with the air pressed out to prevent freezer burn — the dry, grayish patches that are safe to eat but tough and flavorless.
Spoiled raw meat often feels tacky or slimy, smells sour or sulfurous, and may shift to a gray or greenish color. Note that ground beef turning brown inside the package is usually just lack of oxygen, not spoilage; rely on smell, texture, and time.
Fish and seafood
Fresh fish and shellfish are among the most perishable foods in the kitchen. Raw fish fillets, shrimp, scallops, and other seafood keep only 1 to 2 days in the refrigerator; buy them close to when you plan to cook, and store them in the coldest part of the fridge, ideally on a bed of ice in a container. Cooked fish and seafood keep 3 to 4 days. Smoked fish lasts about 2 weeks unopened, or according to its package.
Frozen seafood behaves differently depending on its fat content. Lean fish such as cod, haddock, and tilapia keep 6 to 8 months at good quality, while oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, and trout are best within 2 to 3 months because their fats oxidize and develop off-flavors. Frozen raw shrimp keep 3 to 6 months. Commercially frozen fish is often frozen within hours of catch and can be fresher than "fresh" fish that has spent days in transit — a good budget option.
Fresh fish should smell mild and briny, like the sea. A strong ammonia or "fishy" smell, milky or slimy film, dull sunken eyes on whole fish, and flesh that does not spring back when pressed are all signs to discard it. Live clams and mussels must close when tapped; discard any with cracked shells or that remain open.
Eggs and dairy
Raw eggs in their shells keep 3 to 5 weeks in the refrigerator, and are often still good near the end of that range. Keep them in their original carton on a shelf rather than in the door, where temperatures fluctuate. Hard-boiled eggs keep about 1 week refrigerated, peeled or not. Raw eggs should not be frozen in their shells, but beaten whole eggs or separated whites freeze well for up to a year.
Milk keeps about 7 days after opening, and unopened milk generally keeps until its best-before date if properly refrigerated. Plain yogurt lasts about 1 to 2 weeks after opening; sour cream about 1 to 3 weeks. Butter keeps 1 to 3 months in the refrigerator and 6 to 9 months frozen, and salted butter lasts longer than unsalted.
Cheese shelf life depends on moisture. Hard cheeses such as cheddar, Parmesan, and Gruyère keep about 3 to 4 weeks after opening and around 6 months unopened. Soft cheeses such as brie, ricotta, feta, and cottage cheese keep only about 1 week after opening. Wrap hard cheese in wax or parchment paper and then loosely in plastic, so it can breathe without drying out. Hard cheeses can be frozen for about 6 months for cooking and grating, though the texture becomes crumbly.
When mold appears on hard cheese, you can cut away at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) around and below the spot and use the rest, because mold cannot penetrate dense cheese deeply. Soft cheeses, shredded cheese, yogurt, and sour cream with mold should be discarded entirely. Spoiled milk smells sour and may look lumpy; spoiled yogurt may have pink or fuzzy spots, and a little clear liquid on top (whey) is normal.
Grains, flours, pasta, and legumes
Dry staples are the backbone of a long-lasting pantry. White rice keeps essentially indefinitely — commonly quoted at 2 years or more — in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Brown rice and other whole grains contain oils in their bran and keep only about 6 months at room temperature before turning rancid; refrigerating or freezing them extends this to a year or more. Dry pasta keeps 1 to 2 years. Rolled oats keep about a year.
All-purpose white flour keeps roughly 6 to 12 months in an airtight container at room temperature. Whole-wheat and other whole-grain flours keep only 1 to 3 months in the pantry because of their natural oils, or about 6 months in the fridge and longer in the freezer. Dried beans, lentils, and chickpeas keep 1 to 2 years at good quality; older beans remain safe but take longer to soften and may never become fully tender.
Once cooked, grains and legumes need prompt refrigeration. Cooked rice, pasta, quinoa, and beans keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 2 to 3 months in the freezer. Cooked rice deserves particular care: spores of the bacterium Bacillus cereus can survive cooking and multiply if rice sits warm, so cool it quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours, and reheat until steaming hot.
Signs of trouble in dry goods include a musty, sour, or paint-like smell (rancidity), clumping from moisture, and any sign of pantry insects such as small moths, webbing, or tiny beetles. Rancid whole grains and flours are not typically dangerous, but they taste bitter and will spoil whatever you bake.
Canned goods, oils, nuts, and condiments
Commercially canned foods are designed for long storage. Low-acid canned foods such as vegetables, beans, meats, and soups keep at best quality for 2 to 5 years; high-acid canned foods such as tomatoes, citrus, fruit, and pickled products keep about 12 to 18 months. Discard any can that is bulging, leaking, deeply dented along a seam, or that spurts when opened. Once opened, transfer leftovers to a covered glass or plastic container and use within 3 to 4 days for most foods, or about 5 to 7 days for tomato products and fruit.
Cooking oils keep best in a cool, dark cupboard away from the stove. Unopened oils generally last up to 1 to 2 years, but once opened they are best within a few months; olive oil in particular loses its fresh, peppery character over time. Nuts and seeds, rich in unsaturated fats, keep about 3 months at room temperature, around 6 months refrigerated, and up to a year frozen. A smell like crayons, old paint, or stale cardboard means an oil or nut has gone rancid.
Opened condiments vary widely. Ketchup keeps about 6 months refrigerated; mustard about a year; mayonnaise about 2 months; jams and jellies about 6 months; and salsa about 1 to 2 weeks once opened. Soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, and honey are exceptionally stable and keep for a year or more — honey essentially never spoils, although it may crystallize, which gentle warming reverses. Natural peanut butter keeps best in the fridge after opening; conventional peanut butter keeps about 2 to 3 months in the pantry once opened.
Spices do not spoil in a food-safety sense, but they fade. Whole spices keep their potency for about 3 to 4 years, ground spices about 2 to 3 years, and dried leafy herbs 1 to 3 years. If a ground spice has little aroma when you rub a pinch between your fingers, it has lost most of its flavor.
Bread and baked goods
Bread stales faster in the refrigerator than at room temperature, because cold accelerates the process by which starch recrystallizes. Store most bread at room temperature in a bread box or paper bag for 2 to 4 days — longer for commercial sandwich loaves with preservatives — and freeze anything you will not eat in that time. Sliced bread frozen in a bag keeps about 3 months and toasts straight from the freezer.
Most cakes and muffins keep about 3 to 4 days covered at room temperature. Anything with cream cheese frosting, whipped cream, custard, or fresh fruit fillings must be refrigerated and eaten within 3 to 4 days. Cookies keep 2 to 3 weeks in an airtight container. Pies made with fruit can sit at room temperature for up to 2 days; pumpkin, custard, and cream pies belong in the fridge.
Discard bread with any visible mold rather than cutting the spot away, because mold spreads invisibly through soft, porous foods. Stale but mold-free bread is a resource, not waste — it makes excellent croutons, breadcrumbs, bread pudding, and French toast.
Leftovers and cooked dishes
The single most useful rule for leftovers is 3 to 4 days. Most cooked dishes — meat, poultry, fish, casseroles, soups, stews, cooked grains, and cooked vegetables — should be eaten or frozen within 3 to 4 days of cooking. Frozen leftovers keep best for 2 to 3 months, and soups and stews freeze particularly well.
Getting food into the fridge quickly matters as much as how long it stays there. Bacteria multiply fastest between 40°F and 140°F (4°C and 60°C), often called the danger zone. Refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the room is hotter than 90°F (32°C). Divide large batches into shallow containers so they cool quickly; a deep pot of stew can stay warm in the center for many hours in the fridge.
When reheating, bring leftovers to 165°F (74°C) — steaming hot throughout — and bring soups, sauces, and gravies to a rolling boil. Avoid reheating the same leftovers more than once; take out only the portion you will eat. Fully thawed raw foods should not be refrozen without cooking first, but a cooked dish made from previously frozen raw ingredients can be frozen again.
Quick reference: typical storage times
Raw poultry and ground meat — Fridge: 1–2 days · Freezer: 3–4 months (ground), 9–12 months (poultry).
Raw steaks, chops, and roasts — Fridge: 3–5 days · Freezer: 4–12 months.
Raw fish and shellfish — Fridge: 1–2 days · Freezer: 2–3 months (oily fish), 6–8 months (lean fish).
Cooked meat, fish, and leftovers — Fridge: 3–4 days · Freezer: 2–3 months.
Eggs in the shell — Fridge: 3–5 weeks · Freezer: not in shell (beaten eggs up to 1 year).
Milk (opened) — Fridge: about 7 days. Yogurt (opened) — Fridge: 1–2 weeks.
Hard cheese (opened) — Fridge: 3–4 weeks · Freezer: about 6 months. Soft cheese (opened) — Fridge: about 1 week.
Butter — Fridge: 1–3 months · Freezer: 6–9 months.
Leafy greens and berries — Fridge: 3–7 days. Carrots and cabbage — Fridge: 3–4 weeks or more.
Potatoes and onions — Cool, dark pantry: 1–2 months (not the fridge).
Blanched vegetables and prepared fruit — Freezer: 8–12 months.
White rice — Pantry: 2+ years. Brown rice — Pantry: about 6 months · Fridge or freezer: 12+ months.
Cooked rice, pasta, and beans — Fridge: 3–4 days · Freezer: 2–3 months.
All-purpose flour — Pantry: 6–12 months. Whole-wheat flour — Pantry: 1–3 months · Fridge: about 6 months.
Dry pasta and dried beans — Pantry: 1–2 years.
Canned low-acid foods — Pantry: 2–5 years. Canned high-acid foods — Pantry: 12–18 months.
Opened cooking oil — Pantry: best within a few months. Nuts — Pantry: about 3 months · Fridge: about 6 months · Freezer: up to 1 year.
Bread — Counter: 2–4 days · Freezer: about 3 months.
Ground spices — 2–3 years. Whole spices — 3–4 years (for full flavor).
Turning shelf life into less waste
Knowing how long food lasts is only useful if it changes what you do. The most effective habit is first in, first out: when you unpack groceries, move older items to the front of the shelf and put new ones behind them. Keep a small "eat me first" bin in the fridge for opened packages and ingredients approaching the end of their window, so they are the first thing you see when deciding what to cook.
Plan meals around the shortest shelf lives first. Cook fresh fish and ground meat early in the week, lean on sturdier vegetables and pantry staples later, and freeze proteins you will not use within their fridge window on the day you buy them. Tracking what you have in the Palate Palace Smart Pantry, and building your grocery list from what is already on hand, makes it easier to buy only what you will use before it expires.
Finally, when an ingredient is nearing its limit, change its form rather than throwing it away. Soft vegetables become soups and stews; ripe fruit becomes smoothies, compotes, or banana bread; stale bread becomes breadcrumbs; and a nearly-empty week of odds and ends becomes a frittata, fried rice, or a clean-out-the-fridge curry. These "use it up" dishes are where good storage knowledge pays off in both flavor and savings.
