The Ultimate Food Storage Guide

Nearly every food item we buy has a shelf life that’s dependent on how it’s stored. Even if you’ve planned out your meals and stuck to the shopping list, if you don’t follow proper food storage when you get it home, it can go bad faster than you planned and end up in the trash.

We’re breaking it all down for you so your produce stays crisp, your meats stay fresh and your staples last as long as possible.

Food Item	Where to Store	How to Store	How Long to Store
Apple	refrigerator drawer	unwrapped	3 weeks
Avocado	countertop to ripen, refrigerator shelf when ripe	unwrapped	1 day
Avocado (halved)	refrigerator shelf	squeeze lemon or lime juice on the surface and wrap tightly in plastic wrap	1 day
Banana	countertop	unwrapped	3 days once ripe
Berries	refrigerator drawer	uncovered, vented container	3-5 days
Citrus	refrigerator shelf	unwrapped	2 weeks
Grapes	refrigerator drawer	perforated plastic bag	1-2 weeks
Melon (whole)	countertop	unwrapped	5 days once ripe
Melon (cut)	refrigerator shelf	airtight container	3-5 days
Stone Fruit	countertop to ripen, refrigerator shelf when ripe	unwrapped	5 days once ripe
Pear	countertop, refrigerate once ripe	unwrapped	4 days once ripe
Tomatoes	countertop	unwrapped, vented container	5 days

Food Item	Where to Store	How to Store	How Long to Store
Asparagus	refrigerator shelf	stems in water, tops lightly covered with plastic	4 days
Bell pepper	refrigerator shelf	plastic bag	1 week
Broccoli	refrigerator drawer	wrapped in plastic	5 days
Carrots	refrigerator drawer	plastic bag	3 weeks
Cauliflower	refrigerator drawer	wrapped in plastic	5 days
Celery	refrigerator drawer	wrapped in foil	2 weeks
Cucumber	refrigerator drawer	wrapped in plastic	1 week
Dark leafy greens	refrigerator drawer	plastic bag with dry paper towel	1 week
Garlic	dark pantry	unwrapped, whole	2 months
Green Beans	refrigerator drawer	plastic bag with dry paper towel	1 week
Head of lettuce	refrigerator drawer	plastic bag with dry paper towel	5 days
Mushrooms	refrigerator shelf	paper bag	3 days
Onion	dark pantry	unwrapped	1-2 months
Onion (halved)	refrigerator drawer	sealed plastic bag	3-5 days
Potatoes	dark pantry	paper bag	1-2 months
Salad greens	refrigerator drawer	large plastic container, layered with dry paper towels	10 days
Summer squash	refrigerator shelf	plastic bag	5 days
Sweet potatoes	dark pantry	paper bag	2 weeks
Winter squash	dark pantry	unwrapped	1 month
Basil	countertop	stems in water, tops lightly covered with plastic	1 week
Cilantro	refrigerator shelf	stems in water, tops lightly covered with plastic	1 week
Rosemary/thyme	refrigerator shelf	wrapped in plastic	2 weeks
Chives	refrigerator shelf	wrapped in damp paper towel, wrap in plastic wrap	5 days
Parsley	refrigerator shelf	stems in water, tops lightly covered with plastic	1 week

Food Item	Where to Store	How to Store	How Long to Store
Bacon	refrigerator meat drawer	sealed bag with no air	2 weeks unopened, 1 week opened
Bacon (freezer)	freezer	sealed bag with no air	1 month
Cold cuts from deli	refrigerator shelf	sealed bag with no air	2 weeks unopened, 1 week opened
Cold cuts pre-packaged	refrigerator shelf	packaging it came in	2 weeks unopened, 5 days opened
Raw meat	refrigerator meat drawer	packaging it came in	2 days
Raw meat (freezer)	freezer	sealed bag with no air	3-6 months
Raw poultry	refrigerator meat drawer	packaging it came in	2 days
Raw poultry (freezer)	freezer	sealed bag with no air	3-6 months
Cheese (fresh)	refrigerator drawer	in water, change every 2 days	1 week
Cheese (hard/aged)	refrigerator drawer	wrapped in parchment, then wrapped lightly in plastic	1 month
Cheese (semi-hard)	refrigerator drawer	wrapped in parchment, then wrapped lightly in plastic	2 weeks
Cheese (soft)	refrigerator drawer	wrapped in parchment, then in sealed bag	1-2 weeks
Eggs	refrigerator shelf	egg carton	2 weeks or until expiration date

Food Item	Where to Store	How to Store	How Long to Store
Baking powder	pantry	original container	6 months unopened; until use-by-date opened
Baking soda	pantry	original container	1 ½ years unopened; until use-by-date opened
Flour, white	pantry	sealed container	1 year
Flour, whole-wheat	pantry	sealed container	1 month
Flour, whole-wheat (fridge)	refrigerator	sealed container	6 months
Flour, whole-wheat (freezer)	freezer	sealed container	2 years
Herbs, dried	pantry	sealed containers	2 years
Oats	pantry	original container	6 months
Dried pasta	pantry	original container	2 years
Rice, white	pantry	sealed container	2 years unopened, 1 year opened
Rice, brown	pantry	sealed container	1 year unopened, 6 months opened
Spices	pantry	sealed containers	3 years in whole form, 2 years ground form
Sugar, brown	pantry	sealed container, tightly wrapped	4 months
Sugar, granulated	pantry	sealed container	indefinitely
Nuts	pantry	sealed container	2 weeks
Nuts (fridge)	refrigerator	sealed container	9 months
Nuts (freezer)	freezer	sealed container	2 years
Olive oil	pantry, away from heat and light	darker bottle with well-fitting cap	3 months opened
Vegetable oil	pantry, away from heat and light	original container	4-6 months opened

Storing your food so it lasts as long as possible is just one of many small ways that you can make a big difference when it comes to food waste at home. What other tips and tricks do you use to taste not waste your food? Tell us in the comments below or join the #pantryraid challenge on Instagram.