Many a cook is left guilt-stricken with thoughts of starving children after questioning the expiration dates of food, smelling, guessing at the time they bought it, only to end up throwing it away.

Anyone who cooks, at some point, has called a friend, mom, or grandma to see if questionable items are O.K. to use in the day’s dish.

How long can the holiday turkey be left out on the buffet? How long can meat stay in the freezer? When is an egg expired? Can milk be consumed after the “use-by” date?

To help relieve the guilt of many cooks, and to answer many of these age-old questions, compiled below are helpful tips and information recommended by Linda Griffin, the Limestone County Schools child dietician, from the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service Web site.



How long can food be stored in the freezer?

Because freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only. Refer to the freezer storage chart at the end of this document, which lists optimum freezing times for best quality.



Freeze food as fast as possible to maintain its quality. Rapid freezing prevents undesirable large ice crystals from forming throughout the product. Slow freezing creates large, disruptive ice crystals. During thawing, they damage the cells and dissolve emulsions. This causes meat to “drip”—lose juiciness. Emulsions such as mayonnaise or cream will separate and appear curdled.

Ideally, a food 2-inches thick should freeze completely in about two hours. If the home freezer has a “quick-freeze” shelf, use it. Never stack packages to be frozen. Instead, spread them out in one layer on various shelves, stacking them only after frozen solid.



If a refrigerator freezing compartment can’t maintain zero degrees or if the door is opened frequently, use it for short-term food storage. Eat those foods as soon as possible for best quality. Use a free-standing freezer set at zero degrees or below for long-term storage of frozen foods. Keep a thermometer in the freezing compartment or freezer to check the temperature. This is important if power-outages or mechanical problems are experienced.



Never defrost foods in a garage, basement, car, dishwasher or plastic garbage bag; out on the kitchen counter, outdoors or on the porch. These methods can leave your foods unsafe to eat.

There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. It’s best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator. Small items may defrost overnight; most foods require a day or two. Large items like turkeys may take longer, approximately one day for each five pounds of weight.

For faster defrosting, place food in a leak proof plastic bag and immerse it in cold water. (If the bag leaks, bacteria from the air or surrounding environment could be introduced into the food. Tissues can also absorb water like a sponge, resulting in a watery product.) Check the water frequently to be sure it stays cold. Change the water every 30 minutes. After thawing, cook immediately.

When microwave-defrosting food, plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving.



Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through defrosting. After cooking raw foods, which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, the unused portion may be refrozen.

Previously purchased frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, can be refrozen if it has been handled properly.



Raw or cooked meat, poultry or casseroles can be cooked or reheated from the frozen state. However, it will take approximately one and a half times the usual cooking time for food, which has been thawed. Remember to discard any wrapping or absorbent paper from meat or poultry.

When cooking whole poultry, remove the giblet pack from the cavity as soon as it is loose. Cook the giblets separately. Read the label on USDA-inspected frozen meat and poultry products. Some, such as pre-stuffed whole birds, must be cooked from the frozen state to ensure a safely cooked product.

The inspection mark on the packaging tells if the product was prepared in a USDA or State-inspected plant under controlled conditions. Follow the package directions for thawing, reheating, and storing.



Open dating is found primarily on perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. “Closed” or “coded” dating might appear on shelf-stable products such as cans and boxes of food.

• A “Sell-By” date tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before the date expires.

• A “Best if Used By (or Before)” date is recommended for best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.

• A “Use-By” date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. The date has been determined by the manufacturer of the product.

• “Closed or coded dates” are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer.



Except for “use-by” dates, product dates don’t always refer to home storage and use after purchase. “Use-by” dates usually refer to best quality and are not safety dates. But even if the date expires during home storage, a product should be safe, wholesome and of good quality — if handled properly and kept at 40 degrees or below. If product has a “use-by” date, follow that date.

Foods can develop an off odor, flavor or appearance due to spoilage bacteria. If a food has developed such characteristics, do not use it for quality reasons.

If foods are mishandled, however, foodborne bacteria can grow and cause foodborne illness — before or after the date on the package. For example, if hot dogs are taken to a picnic and left out several hours, they wouldn’t be safe if used thereafter, even if the date hasn’t expired.



If an egg carton has an expiration date printed on it, such as “EXP May 1,” be sure that the date has not passed when the eggs are purchased. That is the last day the store may sell the eggs as fresh. On eggs that have a federal grademark, such as Grade AA, the date cannot be more than 30 days from the date the eggs were packed into the carton. As long as the carton of eggs is purchased before the date expires, all the eggs should be able to be used safely in three to five weeks after the date purchased.



Since product dates aren’t a guide for safe use of a product, how long can the consumer store the food and still use it at top quality? Follow these tips:

• Purchase the product before the date expires.

• If perishable, take the food home immediately after purchase and refrigerate it promptly. If it cannot be used within times recommended on chart freeze it.

• Once a perishable product is frozen, it doesn’t matter if the date expires because foods kept frozen continuously are safe indefinitely.

• Follow handling recommendations on product.



– All information above, and more, can be found at www. fsis.usda.gov.