Milk keeps for about Until the printed date in the fridge, and 1 month (for cooking) in the freezer. The table below splits those times by opened and unopened โ and a date still in range never overrides what your nose tells you.
Treat the clock as restarting the moment you open it: even with a week left on the date, drink it within three to five days. Store it on an inner shelf rather than the door โ the door swings between temperatures every time the fridge is opened, and milk notices.
Storage times
| Unopened | Opened | |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Not recommended | Within 2 hours |
| Fridge | Until the printed date | 3-5 days |
| Freezer | 1 month (for cooking) | 1 month (for cooking) |
Throw it out if you see this
- A sour smell
- Lumps or a thickened texture
- A yellowish tint
Storage tips
- Keep it on an inner shelf, not the door
- Never pour poured-out milk back into the carton
- Frozen milk separates โ use it for cooking only
Thawing
Sell-by and use-by are not the same date
A sell-by date tells the shop how long it may display the product; a use-by date tells you how long it stays safe to eat. They are not interchangeable, and a use-by date is usually later than the sell-by date printed on the same product.
Every printed date assumes the package is unopened and stored at the labelled temperature. Once opened, follow the "opened" column below instead of the printed date โ and if the smell, colour or texture is off, throw it out regardless of what the date says.