Safe shelf life for major foods.

1. Meat: 2 days-1 week. Do not refrigerate fresh meat such as fish, beef, pork and poultry for more than two days. Minced meat should be made into food as soon as possible after buying it home. Cooked meats should be refrigerated a little longer, but are best eaten within a week. Cooked pork chops should be eaten within three days, and non-frozen ham, bacon or salami have a shelf life of up to one week.

2. Condiments: 3 months-1 year. Ketchup has a shelf life of 8-12 months; mayonnaise can be stored for 6 months; relish can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 year; mustard can be stored in the refrigerator for 8 months. Salad dressings can be stored for 9 months; soy sauce is best used up 3 months after opening; butter can be refrigerated for 1 year without spoiling; and jams generally have a shelf life of 1 year.

3. Cooked vegetables and cereals: 3-7 days. Vegetables have a shorter shelf life when cooked, don't put cooked broccoli in the refrigerator for more than three days. Rice, soup and leftovers should not be left in the refrigerator for more than a week.

4. Alcohol: 3 days-10 years. Beer has a shelf life of 3 months when refrigerated, and is best kept at room temperature for no more than 1 month. Red wine can be stored for decades in a cool, dark place, but once opened, wine is best stored in the refrigerator. Rum, gin, vodka, whisky and brandy, on the other hand, have no shelf-life restrictions.

5. Canned food: 1-2 years. If kept in a cool, dry place, canned foods generally have a shelf life of 1 year, some a little longer. Canned food opened, if issued a sour flavor, should be thrown away immediately. If the can bulges, it means it has gone bad.

6. Frozen food: 1 month - 1 year. Frozen foods do not last indefinitely. Ice cream and sorbet have a shelf life of 1 month. Whole chickens are frozen and have a shelf life of up to 1 year. Frozen vegetables and frozen bread have a shelf life of 3 months, ground beef has a frozen shelf life of 4 months, and chicken breasts and wings, etc. can be frozen for up to 9 months.