Caring for Our Children: Appendix R - Food Storage Chart Food Storage Chart This chart has information about keeping foods safely in the refrigerator or freezer. It does not include foods that can be stored safely in the cupboard or on the shelves where quality may be more of an issue than safety. FOOD IN REFRIGERATOR IN FREEZER Eggs Fresh, in shell 3 weeks Don't freeze Raw yolks, whites 2-4 days 1 year Hardcooked 1 week Don't freeze Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes, opened 3 days Don't freeze unopened 10 days 1 year Mayonnaise Commercial, refrigerate after opening 2 months Don't freeze TV Dinners, Frozen Casseroles Keep frozen until ready to heat and serve . 3-4 months Deli and Vacuum-Packed Products Store-prepared or homemade egg, chicken, tuna, ham, macaroni salads 3-4 days Don't freeze Pre-stuffed pork and lamb chops, stuffed chicken breasts 1 day Don't freeze Store-cooked convenience meals 1-2 days Don't freeze Commercial brand vacuum-packed dinners with USDA seal 2 weeks, unopened Don't freeze Hamburger, Ground, and Stew Meats (Raw) Hamburger and stew meats 1-2 days 3-4 months Ground turkey, chicken, veal pork, lamb, and mixtures of them 1-2 days 3-4 months Hotdogs and Lunch Meats* Hotdogs, opened package 1 week . unopened package 2 weeks In freezer wrap, 1-2 months Lunch Meats, opened 3-5 days . Unopened 2 weeks In freezer wrap, 1-2 months Deli sliced ham, turkey, lunch meats 2-3 days 1-2 months Bacon and Sausage Bacon 1 week 1 month Sausage, raw from pork, beef, turkey 1-2 days 1-2 months Smoked breakfast links or patties 1 week 1-2 months Hard Sausage-Pepperoni, Jerky Sticks 2-3 weeks 1-2 months Ham Canned, unopened, label says keep refrigerated 6-9 months Don't freeze Fully cooked - whole 7 days 1-2 months Fully cooked - half 3-5 days 1-2 months Fully cooked - slices 3-4 days 1-2 months Fresh Meat Steaks, beef 3-5 days 6-12 months Chops, pork 3-5 days 4-6 months Chops, lamb 3-5 days 6-9 months Roasts, beef 3-5 days 6-12 months Roasts, lamb 3-5 days 6-9 months Roasts, pork and veal 3-5 days 4-6 months Fresh Poultry Chicken or turkey, whole 1-2 days 1 year Chicken or turkey pieces 1-2 days 9 months Giblets 1-2 days 3-4 months Fresh Seafood Fish and shellfish 2 days 2-4 months *Uncooked salami is not recommended because recent studies have found that the processing does not always kill the E. coli bacteria. Look for the label to say "Fully Cooked." Reference: Graves, D.E., Suitor, C.W., & Holt, K.A. eds. Making Food Healthy and Safe for Children: How to Meet the National Health and Safety Performance Standards Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs. Arlington, VA: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health; 1997. Caring for Our Children, 2nd ed. Copyright 2002. National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care 1-800-598-KIDS(5437) info@nrckids.org