How long does food last? A room-by-room food storage guide

Most cooked leftovers last 3 to 4 days in the fridge, raw ground meat and poultry just 1 to 2 days, and almost any food stays safe indefinitely at 0°F in the freezer. Above all: never leave perishable food at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

The rest of this guide fills in the exact numbers food by food and links to a deeper guide for each one. Every time listed here comes from the USDA and FoodSafety.gov. Getting food storage wrong can make you sick, so these numbers are worth taking seriously.

The short version

• Cooked leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge, then freeze them or throw them out.
• Raw ground meat and poultry keep only 1 to 2 days in the fridge.
• The 2-hour rule: perishable food left out more than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F) is no longer safe.
• Food held at a steady 0°F in the freezer stays safe for good. The freezer times below are about quality, not safety.
• When in doubt, throw it out. Food that looks and smells fine can still be unsafe, so don't taste it to check.

How long does food last in the fridge, freezer, and pantry?

How fast food spoils comes down to temperature, moisture, and whether it is raw, cooked, or shelf-stable. Keep your fridge at 40°F or below and your freezer at 0°F or below, and store cans and dry goods somewhere cool, dark, and under 85°F. The table below covers the foods people ask about most.

These are safe-storage limits, not promises about when food spoils. A food can go bad sooner if it was never kept cold enough. Freezing pauses the clock instead of resetting it.

How long does meat and poultry last?

Raw meat and poultry are the most perishable food in your kitchen. Raw ground beef, ground turkey, and whole or cut-up chicken keep only 1 to 2 days in the fridge. Solid cuts like steaks, chops, and roasts stretch to 3 to 5 days. If you will not cook it in that window, freeze it before the clock runs out. For the full breakdown, read how long raw chicken lasts in the fridge and learn the warning signs in how to tell if ground beef is bad. Already brought home a cooked store bird? How long rotisserie chicken is good for in the fridge covers that.

How long do dairy and eggs last?

Eggs are hardier than the carton date suggests, and milk usually outlives its sell-by date too. Fresh eggs in the shell keep 3 to 5 weeks in the fridge, and milk is generally good about a week past its printed date as long as it has stayed cold. Both dates are set by the manufacturer for quality, not as hard safety deadlines. Dig into how long eggs are good after the expiration date, the float test and other simple checks in how to tell if eggs are still good, and how long milk is good after opening.

How long do leftovers last?

Cooked food follows one clock: 3 to 4 days in the fridge, then into the freezer or the trash. That covers cooked meat, poultry, casseroles, soups, and stews. Grains follow the same clock, so it's worth reading how long cooked rice lasts in the fridge. A store-cooked bird counts as a leftover the moment you buy it too, and the rotisserie chicken guidance applies there as well. Reheat everything to 165°F before you eat it, and get leftovers into the fridge within that 2-hour window.

How long does produce last?

Fresh produce is the hardest to pin to a single chart, because a tomato on the counter and a clamshell of berries in the fridge age on completely different clocks. As a rule, refrigerate cut or peeled produce within 2 hours and use it within a few days, while whole hardy vegetables like potatoes, onions, and winter squash keep for weeks in a cool, dark pantry. When a fruit or vegetable turns slimy, moldy, or sour-smelling, throw it out rather than trimming around it.

How Well Stockd tracks this for you

You do not have to memorize any of this. Well Stockd is a food inventory app that tracks expiration dates for you. It tags each item in your fridge, freezer, and pantry with a safe-by date based on USDA guidance and reminds you before it turns. It also shows which of thousands of recipes you can cook tonight from food that is about to expire, so you eat your groceries instead of throwing them away.

Related guides

• How long does raw chicken last in the fridge?
• How long is rotisserie chicken good for in the fridge?
• How long are eggs good after the expiration date?
• How to tell if eggs are still good
• How to tell if ground beef is bad
• How long is milk good after opening?
• How long does cooked rice last in the fridge?

Frequently asked questions

How long can food sit out at room temperature?

Two hours, or just one hour if the room is above 90°F. After that, bacteria in the danger zone between 40°F and 140°F can multiply to unsafe levels, doubling in as little as 20 minutes. Throw away perishable food left out longer than that, even if it looks and smells perfectly fine.

Does food go bad in the freezer?

Not in terms of safety. Food kept frozen at a constant 0°F stays safe to eat indefinitely. What changes is quality: texture and flavor slowly decline, which is why the freezer times in the chart above are about taste rather than safety.

Is it safe to eat food after the date on the package?

Often, yes. Most sell-by and best-by dates signal peak quality, not safety. Manufacturers set them, not the government, though infant formula is the one federally regulated exception. Judge perishable foods by how they were stored and by how they smell and look, and when in doubt, throw it out.

Updated July 2026. Sources: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS); FoodSafety.gov Cold Food Storage Chart; USDA FoodKeeper; U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).