How Long Can You Safely Store These Foods in the Fridge? - Baton Rouge Clinic (2024)

FAQs

How long can you refrigerate food safely? ›

Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or frozen for 3 to 4 months. Although safe indefinitely, frozen leftovers can lose moisture and flavor when stored for longer times in the freezer.

Store different foods in the correct areas of the fridge.

Store ready-to-eat foods such as cheese, yoghurt, cooked meats and leftovers on the middle and top shelves. Put raw meat, fish and poultry in sealed containers on the bottom shelf so they don't touch each other or drip onto other foods.

You can keep ready-to-eat TCS food in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Freezing food stops the date marking clock, but does not reset it. Always store date marked ready-to-eat TCS food at 41°F or below, including during thawing. Serve, sell or discard all refrigerated ready- to-eat TCS food within seven days.

Never allow meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or produce or other foods that require refrigeration to sit at room temperature for more than two hours—one hour if the air temperature is above 90° F. This also applies to items such as leftovers, "doggie bags," and take-out foods.

According to the FDA Food Code, all perishable foods that are opened or prepared should be thrown out after 7 days, maximum. No leftovers should survive in your fridge for longer than that. Some foods should be even be thrown away before the 7 day mark.

Use these guidelines when freezing food

The quality and taste of your favorite foods can be preserved in the freezer anywhere from one to 12 months at the right freezer temperature. This time frame varies for fresh or cooked meats, fruits, vegetables, soups and leftovers.

Leftovers can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. After that, the risk of food poisoning goes up. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them right away.

The temperature in a refrigerator should be 40 °F or below throughout the unit, so that any place is safe for storage of any food. Raw meat, poultry, and seafood should be in a sealed container or wrapped securely to prevent raw juices from contaminating other foods.

Keeping your refrigerator at 41°F (5°C) or below ensures an environment that will minimize the growth of pathogens. Many refrigerators come with built in thermometers; if your fridge does not have this feature, an appliance thermometer should be kept in the fridge.

The four basic safe food handling behaviors — clean, separate, cook, and chill — will keep our food safe.

What is the 7 day rule for food? ›

Refrigerated, ready-to-eat, potentially hazardous food prepared and held for more than 24 hours in a food establishment must be marked with the date of preparation and must be discarded if not consumed within 7 calendar days from the date of preparation.

If it is refrigerated promptly (within two hours at room temperature; or one hour if surrounding temperature is above 90 °F), it can be safely kept for about three or four days stored in the refrigerator (40 F or less). If frozen, it should keep its quality for about four months.

TCS food prepared from ingredients at room temperature must be cooled to 41°F or below within 4 hours. Reheat food rapidly, within 2 hours. TCS food made in-house and reheated for hot holding must reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F for 15 seconds.

Leftovers can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. After that, the risk of food poisoning goes up. If you don't think you'll be able to eat leftovers within four days, freeze them right away. Frozen leftovers will stay safe for a long time.

As the USDA notes in Keeping Food Safe During an Emergency, your refrigerator will keep food safe for up to 4 hours during a power outage. Keep the door closed as much as possible. Discard refrigerated perishable food such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers after 4 hours without power.

For best safety and quality, plan to eat refrigerated soup within 3 to 4 days or freeze it. And avoid letting soup set at room temperature for more than TWO hours. Don't put a large pot of hot soup directly into your refrigerator.