Opened hot dogs and lunch meat: refrigerator and freezer times
Updated
Both charts count the refrigerator time from when the package is opened. Clemson prints hot dogs and luncheon meats on one line. Pacific Northwest Extension gives each its own line, once in its main table and again in its leftovers table, so every row here rests on three lines.
The refrigerator column is where they part. Clemson gives one range for both foods; Pacific Northwest Extension puts hot dogs at the top of that range and gives lunch meat a shorter one.
In the freezer, Pacific Northwest Extension’s two tables do not print the same figure for hot dogs. The cell shows each figure with the charts that print it, instead of choosing one.
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Hot dogs, opened package | 3–7 days Clemson HGIC7 days (1 week) PNW 612 | 1–2 months Clemson HGIC + PNW 6121 month PNW 612 |
| Lunch meat, opened package | 3–7 days Clemson HGIC3–5 days PNW 612 | 1–2 months |
✓ 2 sources checked per row A single figure means both charts print the same time. Red cells show each chart’s figure where they differ; we do not average them.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Food Storage: Refrigerator & Freezer (HGIC 3522) (revised March 31, 2020) — verified 2026-09-27
- Pacific Northwest Extension (University of Idaho, Oregon State University, Washington State University), Storing Food for Safety and Quality (PNW 612) (revised March 2023), Table 2, p. 14; Table 4, p. 21 — verified 2026-09-27
Good to know
- Pacific Northwest Extension’s main table calls them frankfurters and luncheon meat, and says its refrigerator time starts once the vacuum-sealed package is opened. Its leftovers table gives its freezer figures for wrapped packages.
- Unopened packages are left off this page. Clemson has a line for them, but Pacific Northwest Extension does not, and we only print a row that two charts cover.
- The main table also notes that frozen cured meats lose quality quickly, and that when lunch meat is frozen the emulsion may break and it can “weep”.
Both charts give these times for best quality and call them guidelines, not hard limits. How the rows are matched: our method. Spotted a row that does not match its chart? Tell us and we will recheck the original.