Food Storage Reference

Keep it on the bottom shelf of the fridge so juices can't drip onto other food.

If you won't cook it within 2 days of buying, freeze it.

Wrap tightly in freezer paper or a vacuum bag. Less air means less freezer burn.

Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, in shallow airtight containers so it cools quickly.

Split a big pot into shallow containers (under 2 inches deep) so it cools faster.

Keep eggs in their carton on an inside shelf, not in the door, where the temperature swings every time you open it.

Milk expands as it freezes, so leave some room at the top of the container. Shake well after thawing.

Freezing is safe, but the cheese turns crumbly. Use thawed cheese for cooking rather than a cheese board.

Store in the crisper drawer with a paper towel to soak up moisture. Lettuce doesn't freeze well; spinach can be blanched and frozen for cooking.

Keep in an airtight container to protect it from moisture and pantry moths. Whole wheat flour goes rancid faster, so refrigerate or freeze it.

Keep fish in the coldest part of the fridge and cook or freeze it quickly. Fatty fish loses quality faster in the freezer.

Don't leave pizza out overnight. Wrap slices individually before freezing so you can reheat just what you need.

Cool and refrigerate cooked rice promptly. Rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores, whose toxin isn't destroyed by reheating.

Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Peeled or unpeeled, use within a week.

Reheat to 165°F. Freeze in portion-sized containers for quick weeknight meals.