Use-by dates from the federal Cold Food Storage Chart, refrigerator 40°F and freezer 0°F
Updated October 2026
The calculator adds the chart’s storage time to the day you put the food away. Worked example: cooked turkey leftovers fall under “leftovers, cooked meat or poultry”: 3 to 4 days refrigerated, 2 to 6 months frozen. Stored November 26, 2026: November 26 + 3 days = November 29, + 4 days = November 30. In the freezer: 2 months = January 26, 2027, 6 months = May 26, 2027. Count from the day the food was cooked or opened, not the day you bought it, for leftovers and opened packages.
From the FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service data, last reviewed September 19, 2023). The refrigerator column assumes 40°F or below; the freezer column assumes 0°F or below.
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer (quality) |
|---|---|---|
| Leftovers: cooked meat or poultry (incl. turkey) | 3-4 days | 2-6 months |
| Leftovers: pizza | 3-4 days | 1-2 months |
| Leftovers: chicken nuggets or patties | 3-4 days | 1-3 months |
| Soups and stews with vegetables or meat | 3-4 days | 2-3 months |
| Egg, chicken, ham, tuna or macaroni salad | 3-4 days | Do not freeze / not recommended |
| Raw ground beef, turkey, chicken, pork or lamb | 1-2 days | 3-4 months |
| Raw steaks, chops or roasts (beef, veal, lamb, pork) | 3-5 days | 4-12 months |
| Raw chicken or turkey, whole | 1-2 days | 1 year |
| Raw chicken or turkey, pieces | 1-2 days | 9 months |
| Raw sausage | 1-2 days | 1-2 months |
| Bacon | 1 week | 1 month |
| Hot dogs, opened package | 1 week | 1-2 months |
| Hot dogs, unopened package | 2 weeks | 1-2 months |
| Luncheon meat, opened or deli-sliced | 3-5 days | 1-2 months |
| Luncheon meat, unopened package | 2 weeks | 1-2 months |
| Ham, cooked, store-wrapped slices, half or spiral cut | 3-5 days | 1-2 months |
| Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, catfish), raw | 1-3 days | 2-3 months |
| Shrimp or crayfish, raw | 3-5 days | 6-18 months |
| Eggs, raw in shell | 3-5 weeks | Do not freeze / not recommended |
| Eggs, hard-cooked | 1 week | Do not freeze / not recommended |
| Pumpkin or pecan pie | 3-4 days | 1-2 months |
| Quiche with filling | 3-5 days | 2-3 months |
| Eggnog, commercial | 3-5 days | 6 months |
The full chart and the USDA FoodKeeper app cover hundreds more foods.
Refrigerator times are safety limits: bacteria, including some that cause illness without changing smell or appearance, keep growing slowly at 40°F. Freezer times are about quality only: food kept continuously at 0°F stays safe indefinitely, but texture and flavor decline. A package date (“best if used by,” “sell by”) is the maker’s quality estimate and, except for infant formula, is not a federal safety date.
| Food | Stored | Use by / best by |
|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, refrigerated | November 26, 2026 | November 29, 2026 to November 30, 2026 |
| Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, frozen | November 26, 2026 | January 26, 2027 to May 26, 2027 |
| Opened deli turkey | November 20, 2026 | November 23, 2026 to November 25, 2026 |
| Raw ground beef, frozen | November 20, 2026 | February 20, 2027 to March 20, 2027 |
| Leftover pizza, refrigerated | November 27, 2026 | November 30, 2026 to December 1, 2026 |
| Pumpkin pie, refrigerated | November 26, 2026 | November 29, 2026 to November 30, 2026 |
Pick the closest food on the list, choose refrigerator or freezer, and enter the day you cooked it, opened it, or (for raw meat) brought it home. Check that the refrigerator really is 40°F or below with an appliance thermometer; many run warmer, which shortens every time on the chart.
A closed refrigerator keeps food cold for about 4 hours without power; a full freezer holds its temperature about 48 hours (24 hours if half full) if the door stays shut. Perishable food such as meat, leftovers, milk and eggs that has been above 40°F for more than 2 hours should be thrown out. Frozen food that still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below can be refrozen.
Seek medical care for food poisoning symptoms with a fever over 102°F, bloody diarrhea, frequent vomiting that prevents keeping liquids down, signs of dehydration, or diarrhea lasting more than three days. Pregnant people, older adults, young children and anyone with a weakened immune system face higher risk, especially from Listeria in deli meats and leftovers, and should be stricter about the shorter times.
It does not cover pantry storage, canned goods, home-canned food, baby food or breast milk, foods left out at room temperature (discard perishables after 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F), or foods not on the list. It cannot tell whether a particular item was handled safely before you stored it.
Smelling food to decide. Illness-causing bacteria usually do not change smell. Counting from the purchase date for leftovers. Count from cooking. Treating freezer times as safety deadlines; they are quality guides. Thawing on the counter; thaw in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. A warm fridge; above 40°F the chart’s times no longer hold. When in doubt, throw it out.