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How long you can keep food and drinks in your fridge

We consulted StillTasty, an online guide to shelf life, to create a list of common fridge items and their lifespan

Brittany Fowler
Thursday 17 March 2016 00:18 GMT
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there are some guidelines for how long you should keep food and drinks before they go bad.
there are some guidelines for how long you should keep food and drinks before they go bad.

That bacon you opened last weekend won't stay fresh in your fridge forever.

In fact, there are some guidelines for how long you should keep food and drinks before they go bad.

First, make sure your refrigerator is set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, which is the temperature recommended by the USDA.

If the label has a “sell by” date, consume the food item accordingly.

It's worth noting, though, that a label's “sell by” date only indicates when the product will be of “optimal quality,” according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. You can probably still safely eat something that's just past its expiration date.

We consulted StillTasty, an online guide to shelf life, to create a list of common fridge items and their lifespan. StillTasty uses government sources like the USDA, the FDA, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in addition to food manufacturers.

Here's how long your favourite foods can survive in your fridge after you open them.


Alcohol

Beer: 1 day if kept tightly covered

Champagne: 3-5 days (The champagne may go flat before then, but it will still be safe to consume.)

Wine, red and white: 3-5 days (Take red wines out of the fridge an hour before serving to bring it back to room temperature.)


Condiments

Barbecue sauce: 4 months

Hummus: 1 week

Ketchup: 6 months

Maple syrup: indefinite

Mayonnaise: 2-3 months after the “sell by” date

Mustard: 1 year


Dairy

Brie cheese, sold in wrapped wedge: 1 week

Cheddar cheese, shredded or sliced, commercially packaged: 5-7 days

Dip, dairy-based: 1 week

Eggs: 3-5 weeks

Milk: 1 week after the “sell by” date

Mozzarella cheese, fresh, high moisture: 2 weeks

Parmesan cheese, commercially grated and packaged: 3 months after the “sell by” date

Yoghurt: 7-10 days after the “sell by” date


Fruits and Vegetables

Apples: 3-4 weeks

Avocados, cut: 2-3 days (To avoid browning, squeeze a few drops of lemon or lime into the flesh and tightly wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.)

Blueberries: 1-2 weeks

Broccoli: 3-5 days

Carrots: 2-3 weeks

Celery: 1-2 weeks

Grapes: 5-7 days (To avoid added moisture, don't wash the grapes until you're ready to consume them.)

Lettuce, pre-washed salad mix in bag: 3-5 days

Orange juice: 7-10 days

Peaches: 3-5 days once ripe

Raspberries and strawberries: 2-3 days


Meat and Poultry

Bacon: 1 week

Beef, lamb, pork, and veal: 3-5 days

Ground beef and ground turkey, fresh, cooked: 3-4 days

Ground beef and ground turkey, fresh, raw: 1-2 days

Lunch meat and ham: 3-5 days

Poultry, cooked: 3-4 days

Poultry, raw: 1-2 days


Seafood

Salmon, shrimp and Tuna (including yellow fin), fresh, cooked: 3-4 days

Salmon, shrimp and Tuna (including yellow fin), fresh, raw: 1-2 days

Sushi: 1 day

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Read the original article on Business Insider UK. © 2015. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.

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