Kitchen & Food Safety Watch
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Have you ever wondered how long you can keep foodstuff in the fridge/freezer for?
Well, here's a list that you might find helpful!
Please note that the period you can keep the following food refers to the number of days AFTER you've opened the package the food came in. Needless to say, if the Expiry Date is already up and you still haven't opened the package, discard it! 
Before proceeding though, be sure that you get a thermometer and ensure that your fridge temperature is about 1 to 4 deg C, and the freezer temperature -15 to -17 deg C. Using the numeric gauge in your fridge, ie. the turn-button with markings from 1-5 or more, is not accurate!
DAIRY PRODUCTS & EGGS
Fresh Milk - 5-7 days
Butter / Margarine - 2 weeks
Cheese Spreads - 3-4 weeks
Eggs - 3 weeks
Hard Boiled Eggs - 1 week
Ice Cream - 2 months in freezer
POULTRY AND MEAT
Chicken or turkey, pieces - 1-2 days in fridge, 9-12 months in freezer
Chicken or turkey, whole - 1-2 days in fridge, 1 year in freezer
Ground meat or stew - 1-2 days in fridge, 3-4 months in freezer
Lamb, roasts or chops - 3-5 days in fridge, 6-9 months in freezer
Pork, roasts or chops - 3-5 days in fridge, 4-6 months in freezer
Pre-stuffed pork and lamb chops or chicken breasts - 1 day in fridge
Sausage - 1-2 days in fridge, 1-2 months in freezer
Ham slices - 3-4 days in fridge, 1-2 months in freezer
Hotdogs, luncheon meats (unopened) - 2 weeks in fridge, 1-2 months in freezer
Hotdogs, luncheon meats (opened) - 3-7 days in fridge, 1-2 months in freezer
Cooked, leftover meat - 3-4 days in fridge, 2-3 months in freezer
Leftover gravy and meat broth - 1-2 days in fridge, 2-3 months in freezer
Cooked, leftover poultry - 3-4 days in fridge, 4-6 months in freezer
Cooked, leftover chicken nuggets or patties - 1-2 days in fridge, 1-3 months in freezer
SEAFOOD
Fresh lean fish: cod, flounder, trout, haddock, halibut, pollack, perch - 1-2 days in fridge, 4-6 months in freezer
Fresh fatty fish: mullet, smelt, salmon,mackerel, bluefish, tuna and swordfish - 1-2 days in fridge, 2-3 months in freezer
Shrimp, crabmeat - 2-3 days in fridge, 4 months in freezer
FRUITS
Here's the list for fruits. Basically, the faster you consume your fruits, the better! And gee, I didn't know that there are folks who'd freeze their fruits! 
Apples - 1 month in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Apricots, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums - 3-5 days in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Berries, cherries - 2-3 days in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges - 2 weeks in fridge, 4-6 months in freezer
Guavas, papayas - 1-2 days in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Kiwis - 3-5 days in fridge, 4-6 months in freezer
Mangoes - 8-12 months in freezer
Melons - 1 week in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Pineapple - 2-3 days in fridge, 4-6 months in freezer
To be continued... -
...Continuation
FRESH VEGETABLES
Carrots - 2 weeks in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Beans, broccoli, peas - 3-5 days in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Cauliflower - 1 week in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Cilantro, parsley - 2-3 days in fridge
Corn - use immediately for best flavor, 8-12 months in freezer
Green onions - 3-5 days in fridge
Celery, cabbage, chilies, green beans, peppers, tomatoes - 1 week in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Greens: kale, mustard, spinach, chai seem, kai lan - 3-5 days in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
Lettuce and salad greens - 1 week in fridge
Mushrooms, okra - 1-2 days in fridge, 8-12 months in freezer
BAKED PRODUCTS
Bread, yeast - 6-12 months in freezer
Muffins, rolls, quick breads - 2-4 months in freezer
Pancakes and waffles - 1-2 months in freezer
Cookies - 4-6 months in freezer
Unbaked dough - 2-3 days in fridge, 6 months in freezer
Angel and sponge cakes - 4-6 months in freezer
Cheesecake - 3-7 days in fridge, 4-6 months in freezer
Fruitcake (NOT the fresh fruits with cream sort! ) - 1 year in freezer
Layer cake (butter cream icing or plain) - 6 months in freezer
For PASTRIES: Store at room temperature. Best used within 1 to 3 days
Danish Pastries - 3 months in freezer
Doughnuts - 3 months in freezer
Fruit pie - 1-2 days in fridge, 1 year in freezer
If you find that any of the foodstuff listed above does not have recommended storage dates for BOTH fridge and freezer, then it means that the one that's left out is NOT the recommended option either due to food safety, or quality issues.
Remember, this list only applies IF your fridge temperature is in compliance to the recommended one. I'd recommend you get an alcohol thermometer instead of a mercury thermometer, for use in the fridge and freezer.
These are just guidelines and if you do not follow proper storage practices, these storage times do not apply! -
Proper Food Storage Methods... coming up!! -
wow can store cheese up to 4 weeks
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How about human flesh?
just kidding... please dun reply!! or i'll have nightmares tonight.
how about bread in fridge?
(cos i always can't finish the loaf of bread b4 expiry and will put into the fridge. I'll only throw it away when mushrooms become visible on the surface.)
And rice? -
Yeah... PROVIDED that your fridge is set at the recommended fridge temperature, AND your cheese has not reached expiry date already!Originally posted by RaTtY81:wow can store cheese up to 4 weeks 
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I guess you can keep bread in the fridge until its expiry date.Originally posted by k4korny:How about human flesh?
just kidding... please dun reply!! or i'll have nightmares tonight.
how about bread in fridge?
(cos i always can't finish the loaf of bread b4 expiry and will put into the fridge. I'll only throw it away when mushrooms become visible on the surface.)
And rice?
Before your eyes can see the mould on the bread, it might already be present and in the growing stage. By the time you actually see the mould, you've really kept it for far too long liao!
Make sure when you reach into the pack to take your bread slices, your hand has been washed and is DRY because if your hand is moist, the moisture trapped in the pack will definitely accelerate the formation of mould on your bread and then, you get a mould farm for use in all sorts of weird experiments!! -
think my parents dont bother.
just chop chop and cook...we still alive. -
You guys probably finish the food too fast for it to turn bad mah! Right?Originally posted by bismarck:think my parents dont bother.
just chop chop and cook...we still alive. -
either that or my mum has a GI tract that tolerate all kinds of crapOriginally posted by Rhonda:You guys probably finish the food too fast for it to turn bad mah! Right?
she digs out ancient food to eat from the fridge tht we all run away from.
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Interesting!
I find that over in Sydney, our food tends to keep for longer than when we were in Singapore - probably due to the low levels of humidity here.
Bread - if we freeze it, we can usually keep it waaayyy past the expiry date (we don't often do that cos #1: lack of space, and #2, the bread tends not to taste as nice as freshly baked bread does!)
Ham - we keep it in a tupperware; it can usually last slightly longer than the 4-5 days mentioned. -
The dates given are just a guide. Still have to exercise good ol' common sense before putting stuff into the mouth!Originally posted by SydneyLibrarian:Interesting!
I find that over in Sydney, our food tends to keep for longer than when we were in Singapore - probably due to the low levels of humidity here.
Bread - if we freeze it, we can usually keep it waaayyy past the expiry date (we don't often do that cos #1: lack of space, and #2, the bread tends not to taste as nice as freshly baked bread does!)
Ham - we keep it in a tupperware; it can usually last slightly longer than the 4-5 days mentioned. -
since i only go grocery shopping around once a month ... i seperate my meats into meal sized portions and keep them in zip lock baggies .... before that i'll defrost a whole block of chicken, or beef, pluck or slice off a few pieces and dump the rest back into the freezer ...... seems that doing this encourages freezer burns .... meat gets all shrivelled up .........
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When I recently got a chopping board from Ikea, it did mention briefly to use oil to clean it.Originally posted by Rhonda:
Part II!
Seasoning your wooden chopping board
Before using a new wooden board, season it to prevent staining and absorption of food odors and bacteria.
Purchase a bottle of mineral oil that is edible and tasteless. Vegetable and Olive oils cannot be used because they can turn rancid.
Pour the oil into a container and warm the oil slightly. Using a soft cloth, apply the warmed oil in the direction of the grain, allowing the oil to soak in. You'll need 4-5 coats for this initial seasoning.
After each treatment, wait about four to six hours and wipe off oil that did not soak into the wood (oxidation or hardening of the oil will take approximately 6 hours).
Re-oil the butcher block monthly or as often as needed.
Oiling the chopping board will seal the grain against bacteria. An oil finish helps to prevent the wood from cracking or pulling apart at the seams.
I think most of us do not practice this. We just use and throw, buy a new one! hehe! Well, in case you buy an expensive wooden chopping board and want to maintain it in tip-top condition for as long as possible, or, in case you want to follow 'professional practices' in your kitchen, this info would help!