Start with the basics
The site’s Food Safety Basics guide has the safe cooking temperatures for meat, poultry, fish and leftovers, and the four steps: clean, separate, cook, chill. This page adds the kitchen habits that go with them.
Fridge at 40°F, freezer at 0°F
- Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F or below.
- Put an appliance thermometer in each. The built-in dial shows a setting, not the temperature.
The 2-hour rule
Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours of cooking or taking it out of the fridge, or within 1 hour when it is above 90°F, like at a summer picnic. Throw out perishable food that has sat out longer.
Big pots of soup or chili cool slowly. Divide them into shallow containers, and cut large roasts into smaller pieces, so they chill fast.
Sources: [3]
Three safe ways to thaw
| Method | How | Then |
|---|---|---|
| In the refrigerator | Slowest, but the safest. Plan ahead; it can take a day or longer. | Food stays safe the whole time. |
| In cold water | Seal the food in a leak-proof bag and cover it with cold tap water. Change the water every 30 minutes. | Cook it before you refreeze it. |
| In the microwave | Use the defrost setting. | Cook it right away; parts of it may have started to cook. |
How long it keeps
Reheat leftovers to 165°F, and bring soups, sauces and gravies to a rolling boil.
| Food | Refrigerator (40°F) | Freezer (0°F) |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked leftovers: meat, poultry, casseroles | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months |
| Soups and stews | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 3 months |
| Pizza | 3 to 4 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Egg, chicken, tuna or macaroni salad | 3 to 4 days | Doesn’t freeze well |
| Raw ground meat or poultry | 1 to 2 days | 3 to 4 months |
| Raw whole chicken or turkey | 1 to 2 days | 1 year |
| Raw steaks and chops | 3 to 5 days | 4 to 12 months |
| Lunch meat, opened or deli-sliced | 3 to 5 days | 1 to 2 months |
| Hot dogs, opened | 1 week | 1 to 2 months |
| Bacon | 1 week | 1 month |
| Raw eggs in the shell | 3 to 5 weeks | Don’t freeze in the shell |
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week | Don’t freeze |
Using and checking a food thermometer
- Put the tip in the thickest part of the food, away from bone, fat and gristle. Check in two spots.
- Wash the probe with hot, soapy water after each use.
- To check a dial thermometer, stir a glass of crushed ice and water, wait a minute, and hold the stem in the middle without touching the glass. It should read 32°F. Many dials have a nut under the face to adjust.
- Most digital thermometers can’t be adjusted; replace one that reads wrong in ice water.
Sources
- Kitchen Companion: Your Safe Food Handbook, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Accessed 2026-10-30.
- Cold Food Storage Chart, FoodSafety.gov. Accessed 2026-10-30.
- Leftovers and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Accessed 2026-10-30.
- Thermometer Use and Calibration (Sharon McDonald), Penn State Extension. Accessed 2026-10-30.
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Accessed 2026-10-25.
Updated 2026-10-30. These pages share widely accepted advice from the sources listed; for a health condition, ask your doctor.