Guides

Editorial explanations of the rules the tools apply: what date labels mean, how to cool, freeze, thaw, and refreeze correctly, and what to do when the power goes out.

Safety dates versus quality datesSome dates mean “not safe after”; most mean “best before then.” Knowing which is which prevents both food poisoning and needless w… Refrigerator and freezer temperature fundamentalsEvery storage duration on this site assumes two numbers: a refrigerator at or below 40 °F (4 °C) and a freezer at 0 °F (−18 °C). I… EU use-by versus best-before datesEuropean law defines exactly two date labels, and they mean opposite things. One is a safety limit; the other is a quality suggest… US food date labels: best if used by, sell by, use byIn the United States, almost no date on a food package is a federal safety requirement — with one critical exception. Here is what… How to cool leftovers promptlyThe 3–4 day leftovers rule only applies to food that was cooled correctly in the first place. The cooling step — not the storage s… How to freeze food in useful portionsThe most common freezer regret isn’t freezing the wrong food — it’s freezing the right food as one unusable block. Portioning is t… Safe thawing methodsThere are exactly four official ways to thaw food — and the kitchen counter is not one of them. Each method comes with its own fol… When food can be refrozen“Never refreeze thawed food” is a myth — the real rule depends on how the food was thawed and what happened to it since. Here is t… Freezer burn: quality problem or safety problem?Those grey-brown leathery patches on frozen food look alarming — but under proper frozen storage, freezer burn is dehydration, not… Packaging materials and air removalIn the freezer, air is the enemy and moisture-proof packaging is the defense. The right materials cost pennies per use and are the… Refrigerator food after a power outageA refrigerator without power protects food for about 4 hours — if the door stays shut. After that, the decision is category by cat… Freezer food after a power outageA freezer is far more forgiving than a refrigerator in an outage — a full, closed chest freezer protects food for about two days. … Organizing a freezer: first in, first outA freezer fails quietly: good food goes in, gets buried, and comes out two years later as an archaeology project. First-in-first-o…