The Dairy & Egg Playbook: Cold, Covered and Checked

Dairy and eggs are some of the most perishable foods in an American kitchen, and some of the most wasted. The good news is that the rules are simple once you know them: keep them cold, keep them covered, and know which ones can be rescued when something goes wrong. Everything below is based on the USDA FoodKeeper, the FDA’s egg safety advice and the USDA guidance on mold, and every guide in this section goes deeper into one food.

The Fridge Rules for Dairy and Eggs

Start with the temperature: the FDA advises keeping your refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below, and an inexpensive refrigerator thermometer is the only way to be sure. Keep eggs in their original carton; the FDA recommends using them within 3 weeks for best quality, and the FoodKeeper gives eggs in the shell 3 to 5 weeks in the fridge. Hard-boiled eggs keep 1 week.

Milk and sour cream follow the date on the package. Butter keeps 1 to 2 months in the fridge, margarine about 6 months, and yogurt 1 to 2 weeks. For cheese the type decides: hard cheese keeps 3 to 4 weeks once opened, soft cheese like brie 1 to 2 weeks.

When Mold Shows Up: Cut or Throw Away?

This is the one rule that saves the most money. On hard cheese such as cheddar or parmesan, the USDA says you can cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot and use the rest. Soft cheese (cream cheese, cottage cheese, goat cheese), shredded, crumbled or sliced cheese, sour cream and yogurt with mold go in the bin: moisture lets mold and bacteria spread below the surface. Brie and Camembert are also discarded when mold appears that is not part of the cheese itself.