Once a can or jar is opened, the shelf life printed on it no longer applies. Clemson Cooperative Extension says opened pickles and olives keep 1 to 2 months in the refrigerator, while leftover canned meat, seafood and poultry last just 2 days.
That gap explains why the half-used jar of olives is still fine in the door shelf weeks later, while the leftover canned chicken needs to be eaten by the day after tomorrow. Here is the full refrigerator clock for opened canned foods, and what changes it.
Clemson’s Refrigerator Times for Opened Cans
The Clemson Home and Garden Information Center fact sheet on canned goods lists how long opened canned foods keep in the refrigerator when stored tightly covered in a glass or plastic container:
- Baby food: 2 days
- Meat, seafood and poultry: 2 days
- Vegetables: 3 days
- Tomato sauce and fruit: 5 to 7 days
- Pickles and olives: 1 to 2 months
Once opened, a canned food is perishable, Clemson notes, and it needs to go into the refrigerator, or be cooked and then refrigerated, if it will not be eaten right away. The fact sheet’s guidance is to move leftovers into a covered glass or plastic container rather than leaving them in the open can.
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Why Pickles and Olives Outlast Other Opened Cans
Pickled foods are built for keeping. Wikipedia’s entry on pickling describes the process as preserving food either by fermentation in brine or by immersion in vinegar, with pickling solutions typically at a pH of 4.6 or lower. The combination of high acidity and salt stops enzymes from working and keeps microorganisms from multiplying, the entry explains.
The entry also notes that unfermented “refrigerator pickles” must stay refrigerated or be canned for long-term storage, so the jar label is worth checking. Pickles sold from a refrigerated case belong back in the refrigerator.
Not every source gives olives the same window. Iowa State University’s wellness blog post on refrigerated condiments lists opened olives at about 2 weeks and pickles at 1 to 3 months. Given that range, olives are the item to finish first. Iowa State recommends writing the opening date on the container, using an open jar before starting a new one, and remembering that “best by” and “use by” dates mark peak quality rather than spoilage.
Keeping the condiment shelf in order makes those dates easier to track, and these kitchen organization ideas include simple ways to group jars so older ones get used first.
Unopened Cans Follow a Different, Longer Clock
Before the lid comes off, the order flips. Clemson classifies pickles and sauerkraut among high-acid canned foods, which keep 12 to 18 months unopened, while low-acid canned foods such as meat, poultry, corn, carrots, beans and pumpkin keep 2 to 5 years. For best quality, Clemson suggests using commercially canned foods within two years and home-canned foods within one year.
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A separate Clemson guide to safely storing food adds a reminder that storage does not improve the quality of any food. The pantry should stay between 50 and 70 degrees F, according to the canned goods fact sheet, since storage time drops significantly above 75 degrees F. Cans belong away from hot pipes, ranges, furnaces and direct sunlight.
Damaged cans are a different story. Clemson advises against buying cans that are dented, cracked or bulging, and says a bulging lid or a leaking can is a sign of spoilage. On opening, any can with spurting liquid, an off odor or mold should be thrown out. Discarded food belongs in the trash rather than down the drain, and a reminder of things never to put in a garbage disposal before Thanksgiving cooking covers what to scrape into the bin.
Reheating Rules for Leftover Canned Food
Clemson’s fact sheet also covers what happens after the leftovers come out of the refrigerator. Sauces, soups and gravies should be brought to a rolling boil, and other foods reheated to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Home-canned vegetables should be boiled for 10 minutes before eating.
Clemson advises reheating only the amount needed for one meal and never reheating a food more than once. Cooked canned food held hot should stay above 140 degrees F for no more than two hours, and when outdoor temperatures are 90 degrees F or higher, cooked food should be held no more than 1 hour before it is reheated, refrigerated or frozen. Leftovers should be refrigerated or frozen within two hours in small, shallow, covered containers.
Keep the Refrigerator at 40 Degrees F or Below
All of these refrigerator times assume a cold enough appliance. Clemson recommends keeping the refrigerator at 40 degrees F or lower, with 32 to 40 degrees F as the ideal range, and the freezer at 0 degrees F or lower. The FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart uses the same 40 degree F mark and lists opened shelf-stable canned ham at 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, in line with Clemson’s short window for canned meats.
The short version: canned meats and seafood get 2 days, vegetables 3, tomato sauce and fruit up to a week, and pickles and olives the longest run, up to 2 months, with olives best finished sooner.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Fumikas Sagisavas – CC0/Wikimedia Commons
