Enter the food type, storage method, and the date it was cooked or opened to see the safe-to-eat window and days remaining.
Food safety guidelines from agencies like the USDA give general safe-storage windows for common leftover categories in the refrigerator (typically 34–40°F) and freezer. This calculator applies commonly published guidelines to estimate a use-by date based on your food type, storage method, and the date it was cooked or opened.
In the refrigerator, most cooked meats, poultry, seafood, soups, and grain-based dishes are commonly recommended to be eaten within about 3–4 days; dairy-based casseroles and cooked vegetables somewhat similarly; opened deli meat around 3–5 days. In the freezer, most cooked dishes remain safe for several months (this calculator uses approximately 2–3 months as a practical quality-based guideline, since frozen food stays safe indefinitely from a purely bacterial standpoint but loses quality over time).
Cooked chicken refrigerated on a given date is generally safe for about 4 days, giving a clear use-by date, after which it should be discarded or moved to the freezer for longer storage.
These are general guidelines for typical households, not a substitute for your own senses or official food safety resources. Always check for off odors, texture changes, or visible mold, and when in doubt, throw it out. Consult your local food safety authority (such as the USDA FoodKeeper) for specific or unusual foods.
It references general USDA/food-safety storage guidelines for different food types and storage methods (fridge, freezer, pantry) to give a safe estimated window.
No — they're general safety guidelines. Actual shelf life depends on how the food was handled, packaging, and storage temperature consistency, so always check for signs of spoilage too.
Freezing halts microbial growth almost entirely, dramatically slowing spoilage compared to refrigeration, though food quality (texture, taste) can still decline over long freezer storage.