Guide: make your food last longer
Short, honest answers to the questions you ask yourself in front of the fridge.
Expired eggs: how long do eggs last?Eggs have a best-before date. Kept cold, they are often usable for up to about 6 days after it, but only fully cooked. Hard-boiled: about 1 week.Freezing meat: how long do ground beef, chicken and steak last?Frozen ground meat keeps about 3 months, chicken 4–5, beef 6–10. Never eat it after the use-by date. How to freeze meat well and thaw it safely.How to store potatoes – and how long do cooked potatoes last?Store raw potatoes dark, dry and cool at about 7–10 °C (45–50 °F), away from apples. Cooked potatoes keep about 2–3 days in the fridge.How to freeze vegetables: green beans, zucchini, pumpkin and mushroomsBlanch briefly, chill in ice water, freeze flat: vegetables keep about 6–12 months at -18 °C (0 °F). Times for green beans, zucchini, pumpkin and more.Freezing bread: how long does it last and how should you store it?Fresh and well wrapped, bread keeps up to about 3 months in the freezer. How to freeze it sliced, thaw it, and when it has to go in the bin.Can you freeze cheese? Which kinds work and how long it lastsHard cheese freezes well for up to about 3 months. Soft cheese, cream cheese and mozzarella less so. Plus: moldy cheese and expired mozzarella.Expired yogurt: how long is it still good?Yogurt usually has a best-before date, not a use-by date. Unopened and kept cold, it is often fine for 1–2 weeks after. Check it in 30 seconds.Expired milk: how long is it still good?Unopened pasteurized milk with a best-before date is often fine for up to about 6 days after, if kept cold. UHT milk often for weeks. Raw milk: never.How long does cooked rice last in the fridge, and can you freeze it?Cool cooked rice within 1 hour, eat it within 1 day and reheat it only once. Freezing works well. Why rice is risky and how to handle leftovers safely.Which fruit and vegetables go in the fridge – and which don’t?Carrots, apples and strawberries go in the crisper drawer. Tomatoes, bananas, onions and garlic stay out of the fridge. Keep apples and tomatoes apart.