Before you cook and after you serve, it is important that your food is stored properly. Keeping your food at the proper temperature will help ensure freshness and avoid spoilage.
First of all, keep your freezer at 0°F. Your refrigerator should be kept at 36–40°F. Use a thermometer to make sure your fridge is up to snuff. Next, follow these tips to get your food to the proper temperature as quickly as possible and keep it there.
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Use FIFO: First In, First Out. In other words, use older product first before you open a newer package of the same product. |
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Label and date your refrigerator's contents
with the storage date. Leftovers should be eaten within 3 days. After that, put them in the freezer for long-term storage.
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Cover your foods tightly to keep them fresh. |
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Arrange contents of the freezer and refrigerator in an orderly way. It will help you keep track of what you have and keep temperatures even. |
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Have sufficient air flow around products. This will make sure they maintain the right temperature. |
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Separate large amounts of leftovers into smaller containers. This will help your food to cool down more quickly and help you to keep your space organized. |
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Clean up spills with hot soapy water. |
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Use shallow pans for large amounts of soups or stews. Large containers take longer to cool down. |
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If not eaten immediately, cooked
foods should be kept either hot (between 140°F and 160°F) or refrigerated at 40°F or less.
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Freezing Tips > back to top
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Keep your freezer at 0°F. |
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If you purchase fresh product and don't plan to use it within a day or two, go ahead and freeze it right away. Fresh chicken, bagged beef and pork, and ground beef packaged in a tube can go straight into the freezer. For best results with trayed or wrapped beef or pork products, remove the meat from the packaging and wrap it in food-safe freezer bags or plastic wrap. Press out as much air as possible and wrap tightly with freezer paper or aluminum foil. Frozen uncooked chicken may be thawed and refrozen, but there may be a loss of quality due to moisture loss through defrosting. |
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Separate stuffing or gravies from cooked products when freezing. |
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Freeze fresh chicken, beef, or pork if you do not plan to cook it within 2 days after purchase. |
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Wrap steaks, chops, and chicken parts separately in foil or freezer bags before freezing and label for ease in selecting just the right number of pieces to thaw for a single meal. Be sure to press the air out of the package before freezing. You may also freeze meat and poultry in their original wrappings. |
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Uncooked meat and poultry may be kept frozen for as long as 12 months, depending on the cut. Review the handy charts included here for specific storage times.
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Cooked meat and poultry may be frozen in the same way as fresh, unless made with a sauce or gravy. In that case, pack in a rigid container with a tight-fitting lid.
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Refrigerating Tips > back to top
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Your refrigerator should be kept at 36–40°F. |
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Store uncooked products on the lowest shelf to avoid uncooked product dripping onto food that is already prepared. |
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Keep meat in the meat bin or coldest part of the refrigerator. |
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To maintain temperature, avoid leaving the door open. Try to decide what you want before you go in. |
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Store uncooked meat/poultry items together — separate from cooked foods. |
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Refrigerate or freeze fresh chicken immediately after bringing it home. Never leave chicken in a hot car or sitting out at room temperature. |
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Packaged fresh chicken may be refrigerated in its original wrapping in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to 2 days. |
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Keep chicken refrigerated until you're ready to cook it. |
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When transporting cooked food to another dining site, place it in an insulated container or ice chest until ready to eat. Keep
foods below 40°F or above 140°F. |
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Cooked, cut-up chicken is at its best when refrigerated no longer than 2 days; whole cooked chicken (without stuffing) may be stored for 3 days. |
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If a cooked chicken is stuffed, remove stuffing to a separate container before refrigerating leftovers.
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