Food Storage Times

How long meat, fish, dairy and cooked food last in the fridge and the freezer, and how to store them so they last. It cuts down on both throwing away food that was fine and eating food that was not.

🍳 Numbers to start from — adjust to your own kitchen and taste.

Raw chickenMeatFridge 1–2 daysFreezer 9 months

💡 Pat off the blood and seal it — it smells far less

Minced meatMeatFridge 1–2 daysFreezer 3–4 months

💡 All that surface area makes it spoil the fastest

Beef or pork jointMeatFridge 3–5 daysFreezer 6–12 months

💡 Freeze it in portions you will use at once

White fishSeafoodFridge 1–2 daysFreezer 6 months

💡 Gut it and dry it off before storing

Prawns and shellfishSeafoodFridge 1–2 daysFreezer 3–6 months

💡 Never refreeze after thawing

MilkDairyFridge 2–3 days once openFreezer Not recommended

💡 The door is the warmest spot — keep it further in

Hard cheeseDairyFridge 3–4 weeksFreezer 6 months

💡 Freezing makes it crumbly, so use it for cooking

EggsDairyFridge 3–5 weeksFreezer 1 year, beaten only

💡 Do not wash them, and store pointed end down

Cooked riceCooked foodFridge 1 dayFreezer 1 month

💡 Freeze it while still warm to keep the texture

Soups and stewsCooked foodFridge 2–3 daysFreezer 2–3 months

💡 Cool it before it goes in, and boil it hard when reheating

Tofu (opened)Cooked foodFridge 2–3 daysFreezer 3 months

💡 Keep it under water and change the water daily

Leafy greensProduceFridge 3–7 daysFreezer 8 months blanched

💡 Dry them off and store with a paper towel

Potatoes and onionsProduceFridge Do not refrigerateFreezer 3 months once cooked

💡 Store them apart, somewhere cool and dark

Bananas and tomatoesProduceFridge 2–3 days once ripeFreezer 3 months mashed

💡 Leave them at room temperature until ripe

These are quality times, not safety limits

The times here are how long the taste and texture hold up. Frozen food does not become unsafe after that, it just gets worse. In the fridge, the opposite applies — even inside the window, a warm fridge or a door opened often can spoil things sooner, so check the smell and the colour first.

Do not refreeze food you have thawed. The bacteria that multiplied while it thawed are still there.

What this tool does

Fridge and freezer times per ingredient
Storage tips
What should not go in the fridge
Browse by category

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Ovens, pans and ingredients all vary, so treat these as a starting point rather than an exact answer.