Food Storage

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To ensure edibles remain safe to eat and retain their quality, check this chart. Keep in mind that the listings are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. Some products may spoil faster (or last longer) than times given, depending on storage conditions in your kitchen.

Foods From the Refriferator Case

Chilling foods helps maintain quality and safety, but not forever. Foods kept frozen at 0° F do remain safe almost indefinately, but quality suffers with lengthy storage.

Dairy and Eggs

• Dairy items should be kept in the refrigerator, though cheeses benefit from a little extra TLC. Place soft ones, like Brie and mozzarella, in an airtight container once open. Wrap semihard and hard cheeses, once open, in wax or parchment paper, then stow in a resealable plastic bag. (If you're freezing, replace the paper with plastic wrap.) Good news for those who like to stock up on milk and yogurt when they're on sale: Both can be frozen. Just transfer them into freezer containers or freezerproof glass jars, leaving 1 inch of space at the top to allow for expansion; once thawed, mix to redistribute the solids.

• Fresh mozzarella will keep for about 3 days (do not freeze). For shredded mozzarella, follow the rules for semisoft cheeses.

• Some organic milk is ultra-pasteurized (heated to a higher temperature to kill more bacteria), which gives it a longer shelf life.

• Freezing makes tofu dense and chewy, but it will still be fine for cooking.

Seafood

• Leave seafood in its original packaging and, if possible, place it on a bowl of ice in the refrigerator. However, live shellfish (like clams) should not be put on ice; open or poke holes in the packaging. To freeze seafood, slip the original packaging into a resealable freezer bag.

• Fatty fish can turn mushy when frozen at home and thawed. If you want to stock some in the freezer, but already frozen.

Meat and Poultry

• Keep meat and poultry in its original packaging in the refrigerator. To freeze, slip the packaging into a resealable plastic freezer bag. If you're freezing for several months, it's best to wrap pieces individually in plastic before bagging; this will make them less vulnerable to freezer burn. Another way to cut the risk of freezer burn is to buy vacuum-packed meats and poultry (which can also last about 2 days longer in the refrigerator).

• Wrap unused sausages in butcher paper or wax paper, then plastic bags, and use within a day of opening the original packaging.

• After using part of a ham, rewrap in butcher paper or wax paper, then tuck into a sealed plastic bag and place in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

FRESH PRODUCE

Fresh Produce

• Unripe fruit is safe at room temperature, but once ripened, it will spoil quickly.

• After Cooking, all vegetables must be refrigerated or frozen within 2 hours.

• To ripen apricots, keep at room temperature in a paper bag until soft and fragrant.

• Trim the ends of asparagus before wrapping the spears in a damp paper towel, then in a plastic bag.

• To ripen avocadoes, keep them at room temperature in a paper bag until soft. Eat immediately or refrigerate to get a few more days.

• Discard damaged and moldy berries before storing to prevent the spread of mold.

• Leave some air around green beans when storing to avoid browning and mold.

• Wrap leafy herbs in a just-damp paper towel and then loosely in a plastic bag to keep fresh.

• Hearty squash can live for weeks on a countertop as long as there's no bruising or damage.

• Once soft spots appear, sweet potatoes can rot quickly. Trim any spots and transfer to the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Shop Smart

If you have many errands, make the grocery store your final stop. Pick up perishables last and go right to checkout; once home, refrigerate immediately.

Have raw meat, poultry and seafood placed in separate bags to avoid cross-contamination.

The Big Chill

Set your refrigerator at 40° F, the optimal temperature to keep foods fresh and delay spoilage for the maximum amount of time.

For an Efficient Refrigerator

Keep foods that require maximum chilling on the top shelf.

Arrange items to allow optimal air flow.

Place most-reached-for foods in front, less-used items in back.

Leave eggs in carton to protect from temperature fluctuations and strong odors.

Safe Handling

When prepping raw meat, poultry or fish for storage, wash hands and all surfaces that come in contact with meat after wrapping each item.

Keep raw juices from dripping on other foods in fridge by storing meat in well-sealed plastic bags or on plate.

Best Refrigeration Advice

When in doubt—throw it out!

First in—first out!

Did You Know?

Prepared seafood salads should be refrigerated until serving.

Tomatoes never go in the refrigerator.

In the Freezer

Set your freezer at 0°F and avoid stuffing full, so foods remain uniformly frozen, retaining their flavor and nutritional value.

What Do I Do If the Power Fails?

DON'T OPEN THE DOOR! Don't even peek; food will stay frozen 2 days if the freezer is full or 1 day if half full. If food has started to thaw, refreeze only items that still have ice crystals.

ON ICE

Cool hot food before freezing.

Wrap in air-tight packaging: freezer containers/bags, heavy-duty foil or "suitable for freezing" plastic wrap.

THAW IT OUT

Fridge: Large items like turkey need 1 day per 5 lbs; allow 1 day for small items.

Cold water: immerse in leak-proof bag; change water every ½ hour.

Microwave: Follow manufacturer how-to's. Cook food immediately.

Shelf-Stable Foods

These items should be safe before opening unless can or packaging has been damaged. After opening, store in tightly closed containers. For many shelf-stable items, storage at room temperature affects only quality, unless the product is contaminated (bugs in flour, for example). Some foods, such as mayonnaise, must be refrigerated after opening.

Pantry Pointers

• Store canned goods in a cool, clean, dry place.

• Never store foods under sink or with cleaning supplies.

• Wrap brown sugar tightly to prevent hardening.

• Opened maple syrup, jam and jelly should be refrigerated to prevent mold.

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