Meat

Cooked chicken has 2 hours on the counter and 3 to 4 days in the fridge, and the danger never shows. Cooling it, freezing it, reheating it, and when to throw it out.

How to store ham: leftover and spiral-cut ham keeps 3 to 5 days in the fridge and 1 to 2 months in the freezer, a whole store-wrapped cooked ham about 7 days. Here is the full USDA chart, reheating temperatures and the signs ham has gone bad.

How to store leftover turkey: carve it off the bone within 2 hours, keep it 3 to 4 days in the fridge, and freeze the rest for up to 4 to 6 months. Here is how to cool it, wrap it, reheat it and tell when it has gone.

Opened bacon keeps about 7 days in the fridge, and cooked bacon 4 to 5. Freezing works, though the USDA’s own pages disagree on how long. Here is how to keep it, and when it has gone.

Raw steak keeps 3 to 5 days in the fridge and months in the freezer. Brown or purple is usually just chemistry, while a tacky surface and an off smell are the real warning.

Raw ground beef gets 1 to 2 days in the fridge, so it is the shortest clock in the meat drawer. Grey inside the pack is normal, but grey all through, sticky or sour means it has gone.