Meat and poultry: how long it lasts
Raw and cooked meat and poultry are split into separate pages, because the official fridge and freezer times for a raw whole chicken, a pack of ground beef and a container of leftovers are not the same. Each page lists every state the sources cover, raw, cooked or thawed, and every place: counter, fridge at 40 °F and freezer at 0 °F. The numbers come from USDA FoodKeeper, the FDA storage chart, CDC and university extension services, each with a link and the date we checked it. Freezer times are quality times; the rules that apply to all perishable food, such as the 2-hour limit, have their own guides.
Foods in this category
- Cooked chickenCooked pieces, plain: 3-4 days in the fridge and 4 months in the freezer for best quality. FDA
- Raw chickenWhole chicken: 1-2 days in the fridge and 12 months in the freezer for best quality. FDA FoodKeeper
- Ground beefRaw: 1-2 days in the fridge and 3-4 months in the freezer for best quality. FDA FoodKeeper
- Deli meatSliced at the deli: 2 days in the fridge and 1-2 months in the freezer for best quality. Extension FoodKeeper
- BaconRaw, unopened: 7 days in the fridge and 1 month in the freezer for best quality. FDA FoodKeeper
- HamFully cooked, whole: 7 days in the fridge and 1-2 months in the freezer for best quality. FDA FoodKeeper
- TurkeyWhole turkey: 1-2 days in the fridge and 12 months in the freezer for best quality. FDA FoodKeeper
- Hot dogsUnopened: 2 weeks in the fridge and 1-2 months in the freezer for best quality. FDA FoodKeeper