If you’re like me, you’ve probably made more than one phone call to your mom asking “how long is chicken good for?” Or “can I still eat the cooked beef from a few nights ago?” These are good questions – and if you’re not sure, it’s a good thing you’re questioning it enough to call for an opinion.
While the purpose of my blog is about the healing powers of eating the right foods, I thought this post would still be relevant. You can’t heal if you’re eating food that’s gone bad! In fact, in rare cases, it can be fatal!
So without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to my best friend – this handy “little” chart from the Canadian government’s website. Bookmark it, print it, memorize it. Do what you gotta do. Be safe out there people!
| Food | Refrigerator at 4 °C (40 °F) or lower | Freezer at – 18 °C (0 °F) or lower |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh meat | ||
| Beef | 2-4 days | 10 – 12 months |
| Pork | 2-4 days | 8 – 12 months |
| Lamb | 2-4 days | 8 – 12 months |
| Veal | 3-4 days | 8 – 12 months |
| Ground meat | 1-2 days | 2 – 3 months |
| Fresh poultry | ||
| Chicken/Turkey – whole | 2-3 days | 1 year |
| Chicken/Turkey – pieces | 2-3 days | 6 months |
| Fresh fish | ||
| Lean fish – cod, flounder etc. | 3-4 days | 6 months |
| Fatty fish – salmon etc. | 3-4 days | 2 months |
| Shellfish – clams, crab, lobster etc. | 12-24 hours | 2-4 months |
| Scallops, shrimp, cooked shellfish | 1-2 days | 2-4 months |
| Ham | ||
| Canned ham | 6-9 months | Don’t freeze |
| Cooked ham | 3-4 days | 2-3 months |
| Bacon and sausages | ||
| Bacon | 1 week | 1 month |
| Raw sausage | 1-2 days | 1-2 months |
| Pre-cooked sausage links or patties | 1 week | 1-2 months |
| Hot dogs | ||
| Un-opened hotdogs | 2 weeks | 1-2 months |
| Opened hotdogs | 1 week | 1-2 months |
| Lunch meat and deli food | ||
| Un-opened lunch meat | 2 weeks | 1-2 months |
| Opened lunch meat | 3-5 days | 1-2 months |
| Deli packaged lunch meat | 3-4 days | 2-3 months |
| Deli or homemade salads | 3-5 days | Don’t freeze |
| Leftovers | ||
| Cooked meat, stews, egg or vegetable dishes | 3-4 days | 2-3 months |
| Cooked poultry and fish | 3-4 days | 4-6 months |
| Meat broth and gravy | 3-4 days | 4-6 months |
| Soups | 2-3 days | 4 months |
| Frozen dinners | ||
| Keep frozen until ready to cook | 3-4 months | |
| Eggs | ||
| Fresh in shell | 3-4 weeks | Don’t freeze |
| Fresh out of shell | 2-4 days | 4 months |
| Hard-cooked | 1 week | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Egg substitutes un-opened | 10 days | 1 year |
| Egg substitutes opened | 3 days | Don’t freeze |
| Dairy products | ||
| Un-opened milk | Best before date | 6 weeks |
| Opened milk | 3 days | Don’t freeze |
| Un-opened cottage cheese | Best before date | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Opened cottage cheese | 3 days | Don’t freeze |
| Un-opened yogurt | Best before date | 1-2 months |
| Opened yogurt | 3 days | Don’t freeze |
| Soft cheese | 1 week | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Semi-soft cheese | 2-3 weeks | 8 weeks |
| Firm cheese | 5 weeks | 3 months |
| Hard cheese | 10 months | 1 year |
| Processed cheese | 5 months | 3 months |
| Un-opened salted butter | 8 weeks | 1 year |
| Un-opened unsalted butter | 8 weeks | 3 months |
| Opened butter | 3 weeks | Don’t freeze |
| Vegetables | ||
| Beans green or waxed | 5 days | 8 months |
| Carrots | 2 weeks | 10-12 months |
| Celery | 2 weeks | 10-12 months |
| Leaf lettuce | 3-7 days | Don’t freeze |
| Iceberg lettuce | 1-2 weeks | Don’t freeze |
| Spinach | 2-4 weeks | 10-12 months |
| Summer squash | 1 week | 10-12 months |
| Winter squash | 2 weeks | 10-12 months |
| Tomatoes | Don’t refrigerate | 2 months |
Eater's Digest 
Interesting! I go by the smell test which is a bit dodgy. This seems to be more reliable! Haha. Makes me consider freezing more veggies because they last so long too! Great references. Food poisoning is awful and potentially very dangerous! Also wanted to mention- beautiful stylized website. The layout and pictures and very professional! Although the bad peaches remind me of my few summers as a peach sorter at a farm….hm. Lol
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Thanks so much Melissa! Yes freezing veggies works well – especially if you pre-chop them! Also makes it much easier to use later when you want a quick dinner 🙂
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This is great and very useful! I also let the dogs smell it! If you can believe it they do turn their noses away from beef if its no longer good
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This is an interesting post! Now I have to go through my fridge and freezer and probably throw everything out. Haha!
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This is a very insightful chart, I never really thought about it that much. Might print it off and put it on my fridge for me and my housemates. I’m learning so much from your site its very informative and also beautiful!! I second Melissa on that. Well done!
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Thank you so much Elyse! And yes I had no idea about many of these either – doing this research was certainly eye-opening!
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I like the chart. Funny – I am always looking up or calling one of my sisters to ask hmmm…..how long do you think this is good? Should I eat it?
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I always used to call my mom to ask those questions and now I have the chart to tell me 🙂
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