TempoLife › Features › How long food keeps: fridge, freezer and pantry
Food storage times
Storage times for 0 foods from the USDA Cold Food Storage Chart and FoodKeeper: fridge, freezer and pantry, with the signs that mean it has gone off.
Times are reference values for a correctly set fridge and freezer. When in doubt — especially for anything slimy, smelly or mouldy — throw it out.
How to read these times
The fridge column assumes 0-4 C and that opened packages are moved to sealed containers. The freezer column is a quality guide: at a constant -18 C food stays safe indefinitely, but texture and flavour fade on the schedule shown. The pantry column assumes a cool, dry, dark cupboard.
Your nose, eyes and hands are the last word. The spoilage signs on each food page are what the chart itself lists — mould, slime, off smells, off colours — and they beat any calendar date.
Source: USDA Cold Food Storage Chart / FDA-USDA FoodKeeper · checked 2026-09-03
Frequently asked questions
How long do leftovers keep in the fridge?
Three to four days for meat, poultry, fish, soups and cooked vegetables. Cool them within an hour or two of cooking and store them in shallow containers so they chill fast.
Does freezing food kill bacteria?
No. Freezing stops bacteria from multiplying but does not kill them; they resume once the food thaws. Freeze fresh food, not food that has already spent days in the fridge.
What fridge temperature is safe?
4 C (40 F) or below, and -18 C (0 F) in the freezer. A fridge thermometer costs little and settles the question.
Are the printed dates on food labels the same as these times?
Mostly not. "Best before" is about quality, "use by" is about safety, and both assume the pack stays unopened. Once opened, the storage-chart times on this page take over.
Track what you eat, not what you throw away
Plan meals around what is in the fridge with TempoLife, and stop the half-eaten vegetables from becoming a science project.