Quick answer: Most cooked leftovers last 3 to 4 days in a fridge kept at 40°F or below. Raw chicken, ground meat and fish last only 1 to 2 days, while raw steaks and chops last 3 to 5 days and raw eggs last 3 to 5 weeks. When in doubt, throw it out, or freeze food before its fridge window ends.
You open the fridge, spot a container of last Tuesday’s dinner and wonder if it is still okay. This guide gives you clear storage times for the foods you buy most, so you can stop guessing and stop throwing away good food.
Updated October 2026
Key takeaways
- Keep your fridge at 40°F or below and your freezer at 0°F.
- The 3 to 4 day rule covers most cooked leftovers, from chicken to casseroles to pizza.
- Raw poultry, ground meat and seafood have the shortest window: 1 to 2 days.
- Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours (1 hour if it is above 90°F outside).
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely at 0°F; the freezer times below are for best quality.
How long does food last in the fridge? (Full chart)
These storage times follow mainstream USDA style food safety guidance for a fridge at 40°F or below. Times start from when you bring food home or cook it, not from the date on the package.
Freezer times are for best flavor and texture. Food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe longer, but quality slowly declines.
| Food | Fridge (40°F or below) | Freezer (0°F, best quality) |
|---|---|---|
| Meat, poultry and seafood | ||
| Raw chicken or turkey (whole or pieces) | 1 to 2 days | 9 to 12 months |
| Raw ground beef, turkey or pork | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Raw steaks, chops and roasts | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 12 months |
| Raw fish and shellfish | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 8 months |
| Bacon | 7 days | 1 month |
| Hot dogs (opened) | 1 week | 1 to 2 months |
| Lunch meat (opened or deli sliced) | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Lunch meat (unopened package) | 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Cooked foods and leftovers | ||
| Cooked meat or poultry | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months |
| Cooked fish | 3 to 4 days | 4 to 6 months |
| Soups and stews | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Casseroles | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Cooked pasta | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Cooked rice | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Pizza | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Gravy and meat broth | 1 to 2 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Egg, chicken, tuna or pasta salad | 3 to 5 days | Does not freeze well |
| Eggs and dairy | ||
| Raw eggs in the shell | 3 to 5 weeks | Not in the shell |
| Hard boiled eggs | 1 week | Does not freeze well |
| Milk (after opening) | About 7 days | 3 months |
| Yogurt | 1 to 2 weeks | 1 to 2 months |
| Hard cheese like cheddar (opened) | 3 to 4 weeks | 6 months |
| Soft cheese like brie or ricotta (opened) | 1 week | Not recommended |
| Butter | 1 to 3 months | 6 to 9 months |
| Sour cream | 1 to 3 weeks | Not recommended |
| Produce | ||
| Berries | 3 to 7 days | 8 to 12 months |
| Leafy greens and bagged salad | 3 to 7 days | Not recommended |
| Cut fruit | 3 to 5 days | 8 to 12 months |
| Apples | 3 to 4 weeks | 8 to 12 months (cooked or sliced) |
| Carrots | 2 to 3 weeks | 8 to 12 months (blanched) |
| Broccoli | 3 to 5 days | 8 to 12 months (blanched) |
| Cut onions | 7 to 10 days | 8 to 12 months |
| Condiments and other staples | ||
| Ketchup (opened) | About 6 months | Not needed |
| Mayonnaise (opened) | About 2 months | Not recommended |
| Salad dressing (opened) | 1 to 2 months | Not recommended |
| Opened jarred salsa or pasta sauce | 5 to 7 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Juice (opened) | 7 to 10 days | 8 to 12 months |
| Tofu (opened, in fresh water) | 3 to 5 days | 5 months |
Amelia’s tip: Keep a roll of masking tape and a marker in a kitchen drawer. Write the food and the date on every leftover container, and you will never have to play the “how old is this?” game again.
What is the 3 to 4 day rule for leftovers?
The simplest rule to remember: eat cooked leftovers within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them. It applies to cooked meat, poultry, fish, soups, stews, casseroles, pasta dishes and pizza.
The reason is that some bacteria can grow slowly even at fridge temperatures. After about 4 days, the risk rises enough that it is not worth it, even if the food looks and smells fine.
How to handle leftovers safely
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the room or outdoor temperature is above 90°F.
- Divide large amounts into shallow containers so they cool quickly.
- Cover containers tightly to keep out moisture and fridge odors.
- Label each container with the date.
- Reheat leftovers until they are steaming hot, or 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Bring sauces, soups and gravies to a rolling boil when reheating.
What temperature should your fridge be?
Your fridge should be at 40°F or below, and your freezer at 0°F. Many built in dials do not show actual temperatures, so an inexpensive appliance thermometer is worth having.
Where to store food in the fridge
- Top shelves: leftovers, drinks and ready to eat foods.
- Middle shelves: dairy and eggs. Store eggs in their carton on a shelf, not in the door, where temperatures change more often.
- Bottom shelf: raw meat, poultry and seafood, on a plate or in a bin so juices cannot drip onto other foods.
- Crisper drawers: fruits and vegetables. Keep ethylene producing fruits like apples away from leafy greens if you can.
- Door: condiments, juice and other items that tolerate small temperature swings.
If your kitchen is short on space, my guide on how to organize a small kitchen with no pantry has ideas for getting more out of every shelf.
What do sell by, best by and use by dates mean?
Product dating confuses almost everyone. Apart from infant formula, these dates are generally about quality, not safety.
| Label | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Best if used by | When flavor and quality are at their peak | Food may be fine after this date if stored properly |
| Sell by | Tells the store how long to display the product | Buy before the date, then follow home storage times |
| Use by | The last date recommended for peak quality | Follow it closely, especially for perishable foods |
| Freeze by | When to freeze for best quality | Freeze before this date if you will not use it soon |
Once you open a package, the date on it matters less than how long it has been open. That is why the chart above lists opened times for foods like lunch meat, milk and condiments.
How can you tell if food has gone bad?
Your senses help, but they are not foolproof. Spoilage bacteria cause the smells and slime you notice, while the bacteria that cause foodborne illness often do not change how food looks, smells or tastes.
Signs to throw food out
- Visible mold on soft foods like bread, soft cheese, leftovers, yogurt or berries.
- A sour, rancid or otherwise off smell.
- A slimy or sticky surface on meat, poultry, deli meat or cooked vegetables.
- Bulging, leaking or badly dented cans or jars.
- Any food that has been in the fridge longer than the recommended time.
What about mold on hard cheese?
For hard cheese like cheddar or Parmesan, you can usually cut away at least 1 inch around and below a small moldy spot and keep the rest. For soft cheese, shredded cheese and most other foods, throw the whole thing out.
How do you make food last longer in the fridge?
Small habits keep food fresh longer and cut your grocery bill, since less ends up in the trash.
- Shop with a plan. Buy only what you will use before it expires. My easy meal planning guide for busy families walks you through it.
- Put groceries away fast. Make the grocery store your last stop so cold foods go straight into the fridge.
- Use first in, first out. Move older items to the front and put new groceries behind them.
- Freeze early. If raw meat will not be cooked within its window, freeze it the day you buy it.
- Prep in batches. Cooking once and eating twice works best when you plan leftovers into the week. See my two hour weekly meal prep plan.
- Do a weekly fridge check. Before you shop, toss anything past its time and plan a dinner around what needs using up.
Amelia’s tip: Make Thursday “use it up” night. Leftover rice becomes fried rice, cooked chicken goes into quesadillas, and wilting vegetables go into soup or an omelet. It is one of the easiest ways to stop wasting money on food.
Wasted food is wasted money. If you are trying to tighten your grocery spending, pair these habits with a household budget that actually works.
How should you clean your fridge?
A clean fridge helps food last and makes it easier to see what you have. Wipe up spills right away, and give it a full clean every few months.
- Unplug the fridge or turn it off if you will have the doors open for a while, and move perishables to a cooler.
- Throw out anything expired or past its storage time.
- Remove shelves and drawers and wash them in warm, soapy water. Let glass shelves come to room temperature first so they do not crack.
- Wipe the interior with a solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda in 1 quart of warm water, then dry it.
- If you choose to sanitize with a diluted bleach solution, wear gloves, keep the kitchen ventilated and never mix bleach with ammonia or vinegar. Rinse well.
- Put everything back, oldest food in front.
Amelia’s picks for this project
- Utopia Home Clear Stackable Fridge Bins (8 pack)See-through bins that corral produce, snacks and leftovers so nothing gets lost in the back.
- OXO Good Grips POP Airtight ContainersStackable, airtight canisters that turn a messy cabinet into a tidy mini pantry.
- Alpha Grillers Instant Read ThermometerTakes the guesswork out of chicken and meat doneness.
As an Amazon Associate, Amelia Jay earns from qualifying purchases. See all of Amelia’s picks
Frequently asked questions
How long are leftovers good for in the fridge?
Most cooked leftovers, including meat, poultry, casseroles, soups and pizza, are good for 3 to 4 days in a fridge set to 40°F or below. Refrigerate them within 2 hours of cooking and reheat to 165°F. If you will not eat them in that window, freeze them.
How long does raw chicken last in the fridge?
Raw chicken, whether whole or in pieces, lasts only 1 to 2 days in the fridge. Ground meat and raw fish follow the same 1 to 2 day guideline. Freeze them right away if you will not cook them by then.
Can you eat food after the use by date?
Dates on most foods are about quality, not safety, except for infant formula. A best by or sell by date tells you when the food is at its peak, so food may still be fine if it was stored properly. Use the storage times in this guide and your senses, and throw out anything that smells off or looks moldy or slimy.
How long can cooked rice stay in the fridge?
Cooked rice keeps for about 3 to 4 days. Cool it quickly by spreading it in a shallow container and refrigerating it within 2 hours of cooking, since rice left at room temperature can grow bacteria whose toxins reheating does not destroy.
Does putting hot food in the fridge spoil it?
No. Food safety guidance says to refrigerate hot food promptly rather than letting it cool on the counter for hours. Divide large batches into shallow containers so they cool quickly and do not warm up the rest of the fridge.
How can you tell if food has gone bad?
Look for mold, sliminess, an off or sour smell, or a change in color or texture. However, the bacteria that cause food poisoning usually do not change how food looks or smells, so follow storage time guidelines even if the food seems fine.
Bookmark this chart or print it and stick it on the inside of a cabinet door. With a cold fridge, dated containers and the 3 to 4 day rule, you will waste less food and feel confident about what you serve your family.
