Known facts in, relevant rule out
Food storage decision helper
Choose the situation and enter what you actually know. The helper explains the applicable U.S. household rule and refuses to let smell replace missing time or temperature.
Limits: This tool does not cover every food, recall, home-canning hazard, flood exposure, infant feeding rule, commercial kitchen code, or individual medical risk. If a perishable food’s time or temperature is unknown, discard it.
Choose a scenario
The result will show the rule, next step, and uncertainty boundary.
Why the helper asks separate questions
Two hours on a counter, four days in a cold refrigerator, thawing in cold water, and four hours of lost refrigeration are different rules. A single “expiration checker” cannot safely merge them.