Deli & Prepared Foods

Deli meats, prepared salads, leftovers and rotisserie chicken are ready to eat, which means any bacteria present can grow without further cooking to stop them. These foods depend heavily on quick refrigeration and short turnaround times to stay safe.

Food	Fridge	Freezer
Canadian bacon(2 kinds)	2 weeks	2 months
Casseroles	3 to 4 days
Chicken(2 kinds)	2 weeks	Not recommended
Chicken salad	3 to 4 days	Not recommended
Coleslaw	3 to 5 days
Commercial brand vacuum-packed dinners	2 weeks	Not recommended
Cooked pasta	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Cooked rice	4 to 6 days	6 months
Egg salad	3 to 4 days	Not recommended
Fruit, cut	Use by the package date	Not recommended
Guacamole	3 to 4 days	3 to 4 months
Ham(20 kinds)	2 weeks	Not recommended
Ham salad	3 to 4 days	Not recommended
Hummus(2 kinds)	3 months	Not recommended
Kugel(2 kinds)	3 to 4 days	1 month
Leftovers(3 kinds)	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Luncheon meat or poultry(2 kinds)	3 to 5 days	1 to 2 months
Main dishes or meals	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Meats	3 to 4 days	6 months
Olives(2 kinds)	2 weeks	Not recommended
Pasta salad	3 to 5 days	Not recommended
Pate(3 kinds)	1 to 2 days	1 to 2 months
Potato salad	3 to 5 days	Not recommended
Poultry pieces	3 to 4 days	1 to 2 months
Salami	2 weeks	Not recommended
Salsa(4 kinds)	4 to 7 days
Seafood salads	3 to 4 days	Not recommended
Soup, stews	3 to 4 days	2 to 3 months
Turkey(2 kinds)	2 weeks	Not recommended
Vegetable soup	3 to 4 days	3 months

Signs deli & prepared foods have gone bad

Sour, sulfur-like or generally off smell from ready-to-eat food
Sliminess on deli meat or a slick film on salad
Watery separation showing up in mayonnaise-based salads
Dry, hardened edges on rotisserie chicken left uncovered
Colour that has dulled or greyed since purchase

Storage habits

Refrigerate deli and prepared foods within two hours of purchase or cooking, in shallow covered containers for faster cooling. Use most within three to four days, and reheat leftovers until steaming hot before eating. Freeze portions you will not finish in time, and label them clearly with the date.

Signs deli & prepared foods have gone bad

Storage habits

Questions people ask