Food Shelf Life Encyclopedia

What this guide does

The Food Shelf Life Encyclopedia lists 104 common foods with how long each keeps in the fridge and freezer, plus a storage tip. Enter the date you opened, bought or cooked a food, and the card tells you whether it's still fresh, should be eaten soon, or is past its safe window.

How to use it

1. Type a food in the search box, or filter by category: Meats, Seafood, Pantry, Dairy/Eggs, Fruits or Vegetables.
2. Read the storage times on the card. The first time is for the Fridge, or for the Pantry or Counter when a food keeps better there. Under Freezer, "No" means freezing isn't recommended, usually because it ruins the texture, and a dash means the USDA gives no freezer time.
3. Enter the date opened, bought or cooked. The badge changes to show the food's status.

How the status is worked out

The tool counts the days since the date you entered and compares them with the storage time on the card:

• Fresh: less than 70% of the storage time has passed.
• Eat soon: 70% to 100% of the storage time has passed.
• Expired/Risky: the storage time is over.

For example, cooked chicken keeps 3 to 4 days. Cooked on Monday, it shows Fresh through Wednesday, Eat soon on Thursday and Friday, and Expired/Risky from Saturday.

Some pantry staples keep far longer than they taste their best. For these, the card shows how long they keep, with a smaller Best flavor within note underneath. Soy sauce, honey and white rice keep indefinitely if stored clean, dry and closed, so their badge always says Still Good.

Where the times come from

Every food was checked against the USDA FoodKeeper data, the FDA’s refrigerator and freezer storage chart, North Dakota State University Extension’s food storage guide and, where they publish one, the maker or trade group (for example Kikkoman, USA Rice, the National Honey Board and the North American Olive Oil Association). When these sources give different times for the same food, the card shows the more cautious one. Texas A&M AgriLife’s older storage guide was used as a further cross-check.

Keep the cold chain cold

The times assume your fridge is at 40 °F (4 °C) or colder and your freezer at 0 °F (−18 °C). A fridge thermometer is the only way to know. The USDA also recommends refrigerating perishable food within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if it's above 90 °F (32 °C), such as in a hot car or at a picnic.

Food kept frozen at 0 °F stays safe indefinitely, because bacteria can't grow. The freezer times on the cards are for quality: after that, food can dry out (freezer burn) or lose flavor, but it isn't unsafe. The same goes for long pantry times, such as honey or rice: past them, food loses quality before it becomes unsafe.

What the dates on packages mean

According to the USDA, dates on US food packages are mostly about quality, not safety:

• Best if used by: when the food will taste best.
• Use by: the last date the maker recommends for peak quality. It's a safety date only on infant formula.
• Sell by: a date for the store's stock control, not for you.

A food can still be safe after these dates if it was stored properly, and can spoil before them if it wasn't. In the UK and the European Union, "use by" is a safety deadline: don't eat food after its use-by date, even if it looks and smells fine.

When to throw food out

A sour smell, a slimy surface, mold or a bulging package all mean the food should go. But the bacteria that cause food poisoning usually don't change how food looks or smells, so a food that seems fine can still make you sick. If it's past its time, or you're not sure, the USDA's advice is simple: when in doubt, throw it out.

Frequently asked questions

How long do leftovers last?

Most cooked leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Freeze them sooner if you won't eat them by then.

Can I cut the mold off cheese?

On hard cheese such as cheddar or Parmesan, yes: cut off at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) around and below the moldy spot. Throw out soft cheeses such as Brie, ricotta and cottage cheese, because mold spreads through them.

Can I freeze food that's about to expire?

Yes, if it's still within its fridge time. Freezing pauses bacteria, but doesn't kill them or undo any spoilage that has already happened.

Why is cooked rice a special case?

Cooked rice can carry spores of Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that survives cooking and can produce toxins if the rice sits warm. Cool rice quickly and refrigerate it within 2 hours; it then keeps 3 to 4 days.

Related tools: Bulk Buy Detective, to check whether a big pack is worth it, and Coffee Ratio Master.

Sources: FoodSafety.gov, FoodKeeper App; U.S. FDA, Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart; NDSU Extension, Food Storage Guide; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Safe Home Food Storage; USDA FSIS, Food Product Dating; maker and trade-group storage advice from Kikkoman, USA Rice, the North American Olive Oil Association, the National Honey Board, the National Coffee Association, the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association, BelGioioso and Oatly. Last reviewed on SuiteWebTools: October 2026.