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How Long Can You Keep Leftovers in the Refrigerator?

May 18, 2018 by Jackie Cohen

leftovers in the refrigeratorWhen you put leftovers in the refrigerator, you probably don’t consider how long they’ll remain edible — maybe you eat them in time or you discover that they’ve gone bad.

That pattern may change after you read the following guide to the length of time that different foods can stay fresh in the ‘fridge — based on Food and Drug Administration recommendations.

Life of Leftovers in the Refrigerator

Bacon: one week

Barbecue Sauce (opened): four months

Butter: one to two months

Cheese (soft): one to two weeks; (shredded): one month; (hard, opened): up to six months

Chili, Cocktail or Hot Sauce (opened): six months

Chicken (cooked): three to four days; (fried) three to four days

Eggs (cooked): three to four days; (fresh): three to five days

Fish (smoked): two weeks

Gravy or Meat Broth: one to two days

Egg Salad: three to five days

Ground Turkey: one to two days

Guacamole: three to four days

Ham (cooked, whole): one week; (half or sliced): three to five days

Hamburger (raw): one to two days

Hot Dogs (opened): one week; (unopened): two weeks

Hot Sauce (opened container): about six months

Fruit Punch or Juice (in a carton or bottle): seven to 12 days

Ketchup (opened): six months

Lamb: one to two days

Lemon or Lime Juice: two months

Lunch Meat (opened): three to five days; (unopened): two weeks

Macaroni Salad: three to five days

Mayonnaise (opened): two months if opened

Meat (cooked): three to four days

Milk: seven to 10 days

Mustard (opened): one year

Pasta (cooked): three to five days

Pork: one to two days

Potatoes or Rice (cooked): three to four days

Pickles (opened): one to three months

Pizza: three to four days

Roasts: three to five days

Salsa (opened): one month

Sausage (raw): one to two days; (smoked): one week

Seafood (cooked): one to two days

Shrimp, Scallops or Squid (fresh): two weeks

Soup: three to four days

Soy or Teriyaki Sauce (opened): one month

Spaghetti Sauce (opened): four days

Steak: three to five days

Store-Cooked Meals: three to four days

Turkey (cooked): one to two days

Veal: one to two days

Vegetables (cooked): three to four days

Wine (opened): one to three days

Yogurt: one week

You might consider the durations listed above to be rough averages — if the temperature of your refrigerator is set colder then you might be able to keep things slightly longer, for instance. And speaking of which, you can freeze items for a lot longer.

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Jackie Cohen
Jackie Cohen

Jackie Cohen is an award winning financial journalist turned turned financial advisor obsessed with climate change risk, data and business. Jackie holds a B.A. Degree from Macalester College and an M.A. in English from Claremont Graduate University.

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