Free printable
Kitchen Food Safety Chart
Print this one-page chart and keep it in your pantry or on the fridge. It covers the staples most families store for the long term, how long each one keeps, and the mistakes that cause food poisoning. For the full story on cooked rice, read The Hidden Danger of Cooked Rice.
| Food | Stored dry / unopened | After cooking or opening | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| White rice | 25–30 years sealed, cool and dry | Refrigerate cooked rice within 1 hour (2 hours max) at 40°F or below; eat within 24 hours | Bacillus cereus spores survive cooking. Reheating may not destroy the toxin once it forms. |
| Brown rice | 6–12 months (oils in the bran go rancid) | Same rules as white rice once cooked | A rancid or paint-like smell means throw it out. |
| Dry beans | 25–30 years; older beans need longer soaking | Cooked beans keep 3–4 days refrigerated | Boil kidney beans at least 10 minutes. Undercooked beans are toxic. |
| Pasta | 2+ years dry, sealed | Cooked pasta keeps 3–4 days refrigerated | Same bacteria risk as rice when left at room temperature. |
| Canned meat | 2–5 years, cool and dry | 3–4 days refrigerated after opening | Never use bulging, leaking, or spurting cans. Botulism can be fatal. |
| Wheat & flour | Wheat berries 25–30 years; flour about 1 year | Use fresh-ground flour promptly or refrigerate it | Moisture causes mold. Store dry, sealed, and off the floor. |
| Rolled oats | 1–2 years; up to 30 sealed with oxygen absorbers | Cooked oats keep 3–4 days refrigerated | Keep sealed against pantry moths and weevils. |
| Powdered milk | Per package date, kept dry | Use reconstituted milk within 3–4 days, refrigerated | Treat reconstituted milk exactly like fresh milk. |
| Honey, sugar, salt | Indefinite when kept dry | — | Keep moisture out. Crystallized honey is still safe. |
The golden rules
- The 2-hour rule: never leave perishable cooked food at room temperature longer than 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F).
- Keep your refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below, and check it with a thermometer.
- Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C), stirring to avoid cold spots.
- Shallow containers cool food fastest. Divide big pots before refrigerating.
- No refrigerator? Cook only what you'll eat at that meal.
- When in doubt, throw it out. A serving of food is never worth a sick family.
Sources: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, FoodSafety.gov, and the FDA Bad Bug Book. See the full reference list in the rice safety article.