Cold-food-storage guidelines

Chilling foods is one of the best ways to preserve them. Long before refrigeration and freezing capabilities were standard, salting, smoking, drying and pickling foods were means utilized to keep foods as fresh as possible.

Many consumers now have the ability to buy foods in bulk, then refrigerate or freeze what they need, or store leftovers. There are safety measures to protect flavor and safeguard against spoilage. According to foodsafety.gov, an official website of the United States government, individuals should follow these general coldfood-storage guidelines for foods kept in the freezer and refrigerator. Please keep in mind that the guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only, as frozen foods stored continuously at 0 F (-18 C) or below can be kept indefinitely. Refrigerated foods should be kept at 40 F (4 C) or below. These timelines, unless indicated, reflect fresh and raw foods.

• Hot dogs: 1 to 2 weeks refrigerated; 1 to 2 months frozen.

• Ground meats and poultry: 1 to 2 days refrigerated; 3 to 4 months frozen.

• Fresh beef, veal, lamb and pork (various cuts): 3 to 5 days refrigerated; 4 to 12 months frozen.

• Fresh poultry: 1 to 2 days refrigerated; 9 months to 1 year frozen.

• Fin fish: 1 to 3 days refrigerated; 2 to 3 months frozen for fatty fish and 4 to 8 months for lean fish.

• Leftover cooked meat or poultry: 3 to 4 days refrigerated; 2 to 6 months frozen.

• Leftover pizza: 3 to 4 days refrigerated; 1 to 2 months frozen.

Eggs should not be frozen in the shell and do not freeze well in general. Raw eggs can be kept in the refrigerator around 3 to 5 weeks.

To learn more about specific food items and storage, people can utilize the FoodKeeper app, which helps to maximize food-storage quality and freshness for different foods and beverages. Visit www. foodsafety.gov/keep-foodsafe/foodkeeper-app to learn more.