How Long Foods Stay Fresh In Fridge

ShopSmart Magazine's Lisa Lee Freeman Gives Fridge Shelf-Lives Of Many Common Items

(CBS)  It's easy to put something in the refrigerator and forget about it.

But foods don't stay fresh in the fridge forever, and the day will come when you take something out and wonder if it's still good to eat or has gone bad.

On The Early Show Monday, ShopSmart magazine Editor in Chief Lisa Lee Freeman had the lowdown on how long foods last in the fridge.

ShopSmart consulted a panel of experts to determine which foods could be spoiling by just sitting in the fridge.

Freeman says it's not always the best idea to rely on labels. Some foods don't have them, and the ones on others can be confusing.

Also, most people don't realize that once they open certain popular items found in containers or cans, a new freshness clock starts ticking.

So, it's important to know which foods have a shorter lifespan once placed in the fridge.

If items that have been sitting in the fridge too long are eaten, they can lead to food poisoning and, in some cases, serious health problems.

BABY FOOD: LASTS 1 - 3 DAYS IN FRIDGE ONCE OPENED

An open jar of strained fruits and veggies lasts two-to-three days in the fridge. Opened cooked meat and vegetable combos need to go after a day or two. Meat and veggie combos should go after two days, tops. The bottom line: Don't leave open jars of baby food in the fridge longer than three days. A hidden danger with baby food is that parents may feed babies right out of the jar, so saliva transferred to the jar can promote bacterial growth when placed back in the fridge. If you're using a jar more than once, make sure you portion out what you're going to use, so the dirty spoon doesn't go back into the jar.

PASTA SAUCE: LASTS 5 DAYS ONCE OPENED

Once opened, tomato-based sauces are only good for five days to a week. Don't wait for the mold to form. In many cases, you won't see the mold in the sauce after five days, but it actually could be there. Some mold produce toxins that can be harmful, so why take the risk? Mold grows in very wet environments. What promotes the mold is the high moisture content. No amount of cooking will kill the toxins. So, to be safe, you need to throw it away.

MAYONAISE: LASTS 2 MONTHS ONCE OPENED

Mayo has a high fat content, which means it's not as susceptible to mold and bacteria growth. But the oils in mayo break down over time, so its flavor changes, and it will no longer taste good. There may be a subtle "off" smell, but you may or may not be able to smell it, so be on the safe side and dispose of it after two months, no matter what type of container it comes in. For other condiments, such as ketchup, oil, and salad dressing, refer to the expiration dates, which are normally accurate for these products.

Because it's not always easy to keep track of how long your food has been living in the fridge, Freeman suggests taking tape and a marker and writing down the date you open any glass jars or metal cans. Use the dates as your reference point. Once you've gone past the date, it is time to trash it!

CHEESE: LASTS 1 - 4 WEEKS

Softer cheeses generally have a shorter shelf-life than hard chesses. Hard cheeses ( e.g. cheddar or Swiss) last three to four weeks in the fridge after they're opened; soft cheeses (e.g. Brie) last one week. With cheeses, you can follow the "use/sell by" dates as your guide, but it's best to examine the cheese: Look for mold and smell the cheese to see if it has an odor of ammonia.

It's possible to prolong cheese's shelf life before you store it in the fridge: Remove the plastic that firm cheeses often come in, and wrap the cheese in wax paper. Finish it off with a light layer of plastic wrap.

It's also still possible to eat cheese that has mold on it, but you must be careful: Cut off an inch beyond the mold on all sides, keeping the knife clean between cuts, so you won't spread it. Re-cover it with some fresh wrap.

EGGS: LASTS 3 - 5 WEEKS

Eggs should last three to five weeks after you put them in the fridge. Keep in mind that it's very important that you don't put eggs in the front of the fridge — even if there are compartments for them there. They'll spoil earlier if they're in the front. Stick eggs along with milk, and raw food (fish, meat, and poultry) in the back of the fridge, because it's cooler there. Bacteria grow at a slower rate in colder temperatures. The back of the fridge is typically the coldest part of your fridge, so store items there that need to be kept freshest. Butter is good to keep in the front of the fridge, to keep it warmer so it's easy to cut. Butter, bottled water, and other unopened drinks are items that are less susceptible to temperature problems.

LEFTOVERS: LAST 3 - 4 DAYS

Kung Pao chicken, pepperoni pizza, or tuna salad must go in the fridge within two hours of serving to reduce your risk of food-borne illnesses, because bacteria grow more quickly at room temperature. Don't leave leftovers hanging out in the kitchen. Put them in the fridge as soon as you're done with them. Cold temperatures slow the rate of bacteria growth. For larger items, such as macaroni salad or large quantities of Chinese food, refrigerate in several shallow containers rather than large clumps. That way, the food will cool evenly and more quickly. You don't want a big clump: That risks the chance of something growing in the center because it didn't cool properly.

[ohioretiree]

Eggs?! Eggs don't even need to be refrigerated! They certainly don't need to be in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

[rtw88]

Eggs, especially if fertilized (although eggs sold in the store are not fertilized), do need refrigeration (or cooling to at least 65 degrees)to prevent rotting, depending on how long you will keep them. Store purchased unfertilized eggs should not be kept more than 3 weeks. A good test - if an egg floats in water, before cooking, dispose of it. It has built up too many gases and is in the process of rotting.

I have an egg farm with fertilized eggs. We have roosters as well as hens (store-bought eggs are produced only in houses with hens). Fresh, just laid eggs, can last 60 days or so.

[mahdeealoo]

This author needs an update on mold.

Aflatoxins contained in mold can not be cut off anything and make it safe to eat. Cutting off mold, which is the bloom of the toxin, will not remove the toxin from the infected article. When you see mold on anything, including cheese, that means the toxin is all throughout the item be it one berry, one apple, one container of pizza sauce, or one pound of cheese.

Throw anything with mold on it away! The toxin present is known to cause various forms of cancer.

These molds (aflatoxins) can drop a cow or horse that has eaten moldy feed in less than an hour after ingestion, dead.

Nerve gas is made from a specific mold. The gas is obtained by crushing open mold spores, utilizing the toxic gas inside as the agent to cause nerve damage, paralysis, and death.

The University of Madison in Madison, Wisconsin has done extensive mold/aflatoxin research which is documented. I studied it back in 1976. I'm sure there are more findings on mold but one thing remains clear that will not change: Mold is toxic. Do not eat it or anything that it has grown on. Cutting it off does not take the toxin out of the item on which mold has shown it's presence.

[saywhynot]

Yeah, just look at how many have died eating a 6 day old pizza . . . . Get real, get serious and stop just scaring the obsessive-compulsives. For heaven sake, in parts of Africa they'd do ANYTHING to have the opportunity to eat ANYTHING. All this story feeds is fear. I'd say dump the story -- keep the mayo. You stand a better chance of surviving healthily.

[neenga]

Gosh, considering only two people live in our house, our food bills will go way up now that we're supposed to toss everything out.

[prolegomena]

Mahdeealoo,

Thank you for the well reasoned response. I'm curious, though, if the issue is in the mold itself-- some molds seem to exhibit particularly more devastating effects than others in the human body. For instance, isn't Bleu Cheese just a mold enhanced cheese?

Cheers.

[rray52]

Oh my, to think I have eaten bleu cheeses for years.

[mnelsonix]

mahdeealoo:

Green mold on chesse can be safely removed. It's been done for centuries.

I spent a couple of decades single and lived on leftovers. I routinely doubled and even trippled these suggested time frames. I do not mess with fish leftovers, foul lasts a couple of days and pizza will live damm near forever! plus, exposure to small amounts of mold and bacteria is good for the immune system.

I agree with saywhynot.

[Netterz]

Good grief... how did ANYONE manage to survive the depression!!! Ihave grown up on the stories of my parents, grandparents, and beyond, listening to the truths of tings they survived on, and imagine the HORROR... of life with out everything packed full of preservatives...pathetic to try and scare everyone into throwing all there food away, and running out to buy more, putting more $ in the pockets of those who have far too much money than they know what to do with already. Shame on CBS for even allowing something so frivolous to even be published. Common sense is all you need when it comes to whether you should eat it or not.

[mahdeealoo]

mnelsonix and others, this is not about fear, it is about fact.

If you have studied mold, then fine. If you haven't then...

I did an independant study on fungi, mold, and aflatoxins for college credit when I was in pre-med studies. I also lost my home and it's contents to black mold. How uncanny, huh?

I encourage uneducated people to either educate themselves about the dangers of mold or take heed.

The dangers of resulting mold on foods from the toxin in foods (excluding brie, blue, gorgonzola, darby, etc. may not have the same effect as others, but it is mold none the less) are nothing to scoff at. There is also a great deal of mold in nut butters, especially peanut butter and corn products. Research on these food products goes back quite some time. If you are interested in obtaining documented studies on aflatoxins and canceer, contact the cancer research facility in Madison, Wisconsin at the UW there.

Otherwise, take it from one with some study and first hand experience.

The effects of mold spores toxin on animals and humans that are inhaled or ingested (eaten) would make your head spin. A few of the effects besides cancer are:

ADD
Dyslexia
Memory Loss
Stupor
Permanent Nerve and Organ Damage
Death

And that's all I have to say about that. It's your body and your health. You deceide what you want to put in it. You do the math, I gave you the numbers. As far as I know 2+ 2 still equals 4.

[rushlimpdrug]

Lisa Lee Freeman needs to take her head out of the refrigeratior-(3-6 days before it spoils).
So, Lisa, when should we throw out the refrigeratior, I'm sure it spoils as well.

[justsane-2009]

lisa lee probably doesn't want to know about the mustard and catsup in my fridge...we throw birthday parties for those kids. between the sugar and vinegar in most condiments and pickles, they should last until the next ice age.

i don't want to disrespect mahdeealoo--black mold is very real and very scary--but we're talking about a little blue fuzz on the cheese here...

between this and the dust mites in the pillows story, cbs has managed to scare the pants off a lot of easily influenced people.

[bacardistuff]

my grandparents up until about 10 years ago when they passed used to make (among other things) pudding and would leave it sitting on the table for days, sometimes that stuff would sit there for a week at a time. I recall them walking by and grabbing a spoon to take a bite. They passed away in their 90s of old age and nothing else.

[citizenusa-2009]

Bush has been in White House long enough to grow mold. Can't we throw him out?

[rushlimpdrug]

From reading the postings about mold and such and having heard the stories about the mold in New Orleans the people living in New Orleans have another good 1-2 years left.

[bareemperor]

My vacuum sealer changed all this...
With no discernable air left in a package, things last a loooong time!
If frozen right, with no air in the plastic, and no accidental thaws, we have eaten cioppino 2 years after we froze it.

[citizenusa-2009]

Just wondering how long Daniel Baldwin's drugs would stay fresh in the fridge?

[rray52]

I wonder if I should throw out the crock of chopped cabbage in my pantry, it%u2019s been bubbling for three weeks and I have to skim the scum from the top of the liquid every day? I think I%u2019ll wait until the bubbles stop and give it a taste test.

[citizenusa-2009]

rray52 - Did Daniel Baldwin give you that idea when he was high?

[rray52]

CitizenUSA

It's sauerkraut

[citizenusa-2009]

LOL. It that a code name for a street drug of some sort?

[rray52]

CitizenUSA


No, that%u2019s the flour, sugar, yeast mixture that%u2019s been growing in the frig for a year, we call it %u201Cstarter%u201D

[krenz4]

Why dont these companies come out and say that it is the processing CHEMICALS that they have added to food that will kill, not the mold that grow in old food! For heavens sake, our grandparents scraped the mold off and reheated food all the time and no one died or even got sick! But that was before greedy food processors started messing around with the food supply. Now we have chemical reactions going on in the refrigerator that make our hair stand on end. OH and by the way people, stop using so many germ killing, antibacterial products too! The human body needs some germs and bacterias to maintain its health.

[smartyee]

in europe, eggs are sold on store shelves, and not refidgerated at all....

[citizenusa-2009]

If there weren't so many chemicals in food, Daniel Baldwin probably wouldn't have tested positive for drug use. hmmmm

[gorph001]

Are there any "worth-while" women in Modest, CA
I mean for thought-less spurious *** etc, no attachments at all.!!!

[citizenusa-2009]

News Flash: Daniel Baldwin has run out of drugs and now he wants to eat your old food. Don't try and resist, all he needs right now is a slight buzz. "Please pass the moldy cheese, thank you."

[citizenusa-2009]

I'm getting very hungry, but I looked in the fridge and just found a note signed by "you know who". It said, "I've eaten your food and am now headed to the hospital to have my stomach pumped. Because the procedure is so painful, they will have to give me DRUGS!" Wooooo Hoooooo!" I mean..Sincerely yours.

[titoplenty]

Danny Baldwin takes a piece of scotch tape and puts it across the use/sell by date on his food and writes "DRUGS" on it then immediatly shoots it into his arm...thereby making this whole article moot.

[gucci805]

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO PLAIN COMMON SENSE? IF IT'S GREEN, CUT IT AWAY--IF IT STINKS, THROW IT AWAY. THIS IS THE DUMBEST ARGUMENT YET FOR THE TREE HUGGERS---GET A LIFE--IF YOU DON'T WANT TO EAT REAL FOOD, STAY AWAY FROM IT---DON'T TRY TO SCARE ALL THE NEWBIES INTO BELIEVINMG YOU KNOW EVERYTHING. YOU DO NOT---JUST ASK YOUR GRANDPARENTS--OR YOUR PARENTS--IF THEY HAVE SURVIVED OUIR DECADENT WAYS.

[linfinster]

5 days for pasta sauce?? Ha ha! I have had mine for over a month and never has a problem. It's those bulk, save money concepts ... I can never finish those thing and end up throwing it away ... yeah great savings!! lol

[linfinster]

5 days for pasta sauce?? Ha ha! I have had mine for over a month and never has a problem. It's those bulk, save money concepts ... I can never finish those thing and end up throwing it away ... yeah great savings!! lol

[sjw1253]

For all of you disbelievers... CBS is reporting this because it is finally gaining greater scientific validation.

You may be able to give case reports of "people who grew old" eating mold - but you have to realize that there is a huge difference between the life expectancy since the depression and now (that is higher).

Also, remember that there are always stories of Grandpa living to be 90 and smoking 5 packs of cigarettes a day... Look at all of the ones who die from lung cancer or suffer disabling emphysema for years and dying sooner with that disease as well. Look at how long cigarette smoking was said to be not bad for your health.

It is clear that there are markers in a person's blood that makes them more likely to respond poorly to mold than others. There is a tremendous amount of research - and the fact is that mold is deadly and there are many studies that are actually linking mold to such diseases as cancer.

Keep you ears open as the studies are gaining greater merit and are being validated scientifically.

Don't say I didn't warn you (and no - I am not the author or any relation... just someone who has been affected and not yet found the cause of the mold - and guess what - there are tests that can determine if you suffer from mold toxicity)

[tkilljoy]

I have a simple question for the author:

where's your decreased life expectancy to corroborate this attempt at scaring the hell out of your readers/make more people waste more money?

it's practically a hobby in our home to take a lil gamble with the undercooked meats and the slightly stanky cheese.

wait, sorry, our cheese comes from mold to begin with, almost forgot. still, the bleeding meat, big time meal around here, has been in our family for.. centuries..

we're still hittin' the 70s and 80s for age.

[advnewaya]

Just passing through and couldn't help, but "lmao" at the idiotic comment of "gucci805"!!
They start out by saying something about "common sense",and then their entire post is done IN ALL CAPS, which always tells me........... "This person, is "really trying to say"........"Ohhhh! Ohhhhh!!!Mista' Kahta! Looke at me, ohhhh Mista Kahta....look at me, please! I always enjoy reading a post, that's done is all caps, because it makes that person, posting, 9 out of 9 times, look really stupid, twice!

[dzfromsc]

It is obviouis that some of you are idiots. These are recomendations to help you be safe about your eating habits. Yes, sauce can last longer but to be safe, 5 days. Some of you need to get some common sense.

[chochollyk]

I live alone and currently have no income; I'm living off savings. I guess I am going to have to eat ALL my meals AND SNACKS out.....
To think that my mother left a cooked roast or ham or stew sitting out ALL DAY SUNDAYS for us to just graze on throughout the day... She and my father lived to be in their 70's, my brothers and I have lived to see our 50's and 60's so far...
Okay, off I go to throw away the entire contents of the refrigerator so I don't get sick or die prematurely... ohhh, maybe I should sell the refrigerator, so I can afford more of that fast food I'll be eating forever until death do us part... now there's some food that should be investigated!!!!!!

[lauramushkat]

it amazes me that my daughters, who are now moms themselves, survived all the stuff we did or did not do that we should have-like not feed them from baby jars-they usually finished then anyway!

putting this list on my fridge.

Laura

[mossmoonsgb]

I also think gucci805 is an idiot. He sounds like he is one of the 28% of Americans who think that Bush is not the worst President ever, but a hero. He is just one of the sheep. For historical perspective we impeached Nixon though had a better approval rating than Bush. Gucci805 a spell check is available on your computer (believing and our)By the way, if Potassium Sorbate is added you will increase the shelf life of products.

[great_oaks]

Im curious if any of the sources or contributors are relations to the food industry, of course they want you think pasta sauce goes bad in 5, means they will get money to feed themselves every 5 days. what you do is bag the sauce and throw in freezer in family size zippie bags! keep your money instead of food industry getting it.

[great_oaks]

just throw the remanders after opening for 1 meal in meal size portions baggies and throw in freezer. I question are these stories backed in any way by food industry? who want that pasta sauce purchasing every 5 days? Just freeze everything in smaller containers and zippie bags and never throw away again. keep your money without wasting. the food companies won't be happy, but who cares.

[erichsh]

Ya know, I just wanted to post a good-natured crack about my "iron stomach" in this non-political article/forum, but there's mossmoonbat managing to scream his Bush hatred even here. Give it a break, moonbat, you'd blame Bush for moldy cheese if you could.

Anyway, what's with this cutting an inch off all sides of that old moldy cheese? There wouldn't be any left unless you started with a block about the size of a loaf of bread! I just scrape it off the surface, kinda like peeling a potato. Just think of that mold next time you order bleu cheese on your salad - that's what gives it its flavor.

[aznyron-2009]

very good information please do more of it you might save lives or at least prevent people from getting sick thank you health watch & CBS News

[justsane-2009]

laura...if you and your kids (and presumably your grandkids) survived the "bad" ways that your dealt with food and leftovers, then why are you putting the list on your fridge? your good common sense got you this far--why not continue to rely on it? just because chicken little is running around in a suit screaming that the sky is falling doesn't mean we have to listen...

unless of course, you're putting the list on your fridge so you can get a good laugh now and then...

[salemslot9]

didn't Nixon resign?~sauerkraut=LOL~please try not to be so negative :)

[attymom1]

Thats a good idea abt putting pasta sauce in the freezer. I always wind up wasting some.