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Storage of Fresh Fish, Meat and Poultry

Refrigerate fresh fish, meat and poultry as soon as possible after you buy it. For best quality, keep the refrigerator temperature between 35 and 40 degrees.

Wrap fish loosely in waxed paper or aluminum foil or place in a covered container before refrigerating. You can store fish for two days, but for best results use the day of purchase.

Tightly wrap smoked fish before refrigerating. Lightly smoked fish, such as salmon, will keep one for twp days. Heavily smoked fish, such as chubs, or whiting, will keep six to seven days.

You can store fresh chicken one to two days in the refrigerator, but for best results use the day of purchase.

Store fresh meats, such as roasts and steaks, in the refrigerator for three to five days. Store ground meats one to two days.

The keeping quality will vary with the meat and temperature of refrigerator.

If you are not going to use meat, fish or poultry within these recommended storage periods, freeze them immediately after purchase to maintain top quality.

If you have further questions, please contact your county office of the NDSU Extension Service.

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For More Information Contact your North Dakota County Extension Office of the NDSU Extension Service for additional information or see our main NDSU Web Page for publications and articles on Agriculture, Horticulture, Youth and Family, Business and Community and Food and Nutrition at  http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/