COLD STORAGE GUIDELINES

PRODUCT	REFRIGERATOR (40˚F)	FREEZER (0˚F)
Eggs
Fresh in shell	3 to 5 weeks	Do not freeze
Raw yolks and whites	2 to 4 days	1 year
Hard-cooked	1 week	Does not freeze well
Liquid pasteurized eggs, substitutes, opened	3 days	Does not freeze well
unopened	10 days	1 year
Mayonnaise
Commercial, refrigerate after opening	2 months	Do not freeze
Frozen Dinners & Entrees
Keep frozen until ready to eat		3 to 4 months
Prepared salads
Store - prepared or homemade egg, chicken, tuna, ham or macaroni salads	3 to 5 days	Does not freeze well
Processed Meats
Hot Dogs – opened	1 week	1 to 2 months
unopened	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Luncheon Meats – opened	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
unopened	2 weeks	1 to 2 months
Bacon	7 days	1 month
Raw Sausage – Chicken, turkey, pork, beef	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 months
Smoked breakfast links, patties	7 days	1 to 2 months
Hard Sausage – pepperoni, jerky sticks	2 to 3 weeks	1 to 2 months
Summer Sausage (labeled- keep refrigerated) opened	3 weeks	1 to 2 months
unopened	3 months	1 to 2 months
Canned Ham (labeled- keep refrigerated) opened	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
unopened	6 to 9 months	Do not freeze
Fully cooked whole ham	7 days	1 to 2 months
half ham	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Fresh meats
All ground meats, ground meat mixtures, stew meats	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Beef, Veal, Lamb & pork steaks	3 to 5 days	6 to 12 months
chops	3 to 5 days	4 to 6 months
roasts	3 to 5 days	4 to 12 months
Variety meats (tongue, liver, heart, kidneys)	1 to 2 days	3 to 4 months
Pre-stuffed, uncooked pork chops, lamb chops, chicken breasts	1 day	Does not freeze well
Soups and Stews
Vegetable or meat added	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Fresh Poultry
Whole chicken or turkey	1 to 2 days	1 year
pieces	1 to 2 days	9 months
Cooked Leftovers
Fried chicken, plain pieces	3 to 4 days	4 months
Poultry casseroles	3 to 4 days	4 to 6 months
Chicken nuggets, patties	1 to 2 days	1 to 3 months
Meat & meat casseroles	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Pizza	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months
Stuffing or dressing	3 to 4 days	1 month

While on the subject of storage, here is some more information for you on  THE GREAT CONDIMENT DEBATE  Put an end to the “Great Condiment Debate” with this handy list of storage and shelf life tips.

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