How we decode the data
Every storage time on this site comes from one place: the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service FoodKeeper dataset. It is published in the public domain (CC0), it covers 661 records for 466 foods, and it is the same data behind the USDA FoodKeeper app. We do not invent numbers, average other sites, or adjust the ranges.
What the times mean
FoodKeeper times describe how long a food keeps good quality when stored correctly: a fridge at 40 F (4 C) or below, a freezer at 0 F (-18 C). They are not expiry dates and not safety limits. Frozen food stays safe indefinitely; what the freezer time tells you is when texture and flavour start to slip.
Some times count from the day you bought the food; others count from the package date printed by the maker. We label each one. Where the dataset gives a separate time after opening or after thawing, we show that too.
What we add
- A plain answer at the top of each page: yes, no, or it depends, and why.
- Signs of spoilage for each category, written from standard food safety guidance, because the dataset has no such field.
- Storage habits: container, position in the fridge, labeling, thawing.
- Links between the kinds of a food (raw, cooked, opened) so the right number is easy to find.
What we do not do
We do not give medical advice, and we do not tell you that food past a guideline is unsafe or safe. The two rules we repeat are USDA rules: keep perishables out of the room-temperature window of 2 hours, and when in doubt, throw it out.