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Is that frozen food still safe to eat? How long should you keep food in your freezer? Time to clean it out? See this frozen food storage chart to find out whether you can freeze cheese, how long you can freeze chicken, how long uncooked meat keeps in the freezer, and much more. Plus, get advice on freezing foods to preservequality.
Technically, frozen food will last forever if storedat 0 °F. However, we’re only talking about the safety here; foods will not be dangerous to eat.
However, food is all about taste. The food’s color, flavor, and texture will start to deteriorate. For example, most food, includingcooked meat, will be kept for a few months before quality begins to suffer.No matter how well foods are packaged, air sneaks in, and moisture gets sucked out; this results in freezer burn, negatively affecting texture and taste. This is one reason why we recommend freezing in bags instead of stiff containers.
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Below is an excellent chart for people who use the freezer often to store food for a long time.You might be surprised to find that you can freeze most foods much longer than you imagined without losingquality.
NOTE: These times assume that the freezer temperature is maintained at 0°F (-18°C) or colder. The storage times are for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe almostindefinitely.
Product | Store in Freezer |
---|---|
All cheeses except those listed below | Six months |
Cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, goat, fresh mozzarella, Neufchâtel, Parmesan, processed cheese (opened) | Not recommended |
Product | Store in Freezer |
---|---|
Butter | 6 to 9 months |
Cream, half-and-half | 4 months |
Ice cream | 1 to 2 months |
Margarine (not diet) | 12 months |
Milk | 3 months |
Yogurt | 1 to 2 months |
Product | Store in Freezer |
---|---|
Clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, shrimp | 3 to 6 months |
Fatty fish (bluefish, mackerel, perch, salmon) | 2 to 3 months |
Lean fish (flounder, haddock, sole) | 6 months |
Product | Store in Freezer |
---|---|
All fruit (except those listed below) | 10 to 12 months |
Avocados, bananas | 3 months |
Citrus fruit | 4 to 6 months |
Fruit Juices | 8 to 12 months |
Product | Store in Freezer |
---|---|
Artichokes, eggplant | 6 to 8 months |
Asparagus, rutabagas, turnips | 8 to 10 months |
Bamboo shoots, cabbage, celery, cucumbers, endive, radishes, salad greens, watercress | Not recommended |
Beans, beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, corn, greens, kohlrabi, leeks, mushrooms, okra, onions, parsnips, peas, peppers, soybeans, spinach, summer squash | 10 to 12 months |
Tomatoes (overripe or sliced) | 2 months |
Product | Store in Freezer |
---|---|
Cooked | 2 to 6 months |
Ham, hot dogs, and lunch meats | 1 to 2 months |
Sausage, bacon | 1 to 2 months |
Uncooked, ground | 3 to 4 months |
Uncooked roasts, steaks, or chops | 4 to 12 months |
Wild game, uncooked | 8 to 12 months |
Product | Store in Freezer |
---|---|
Cooked | 4 months |
Giblets, uncooked | 3 to 4 months |
Uncooked | 12 months |
Uncooked parts | 9 months |
Product | Store in Freezer |
---|---|
Cakes | 4 to 6 months |
Casseroles | 2 to 3 months |
Cookie dough | 2 months |
Cookies | 3 months |
Fruit pies, baked | 2 to 4 months |
Fruit pies, unbaked | 8 months |
Pastry, unbaked | 2 months |
Pumpkin or chiffon pies | 1 months |
Quick breads | 2 months |
Raw egg yolks, whites | 12 months |
Soups and stews | 2 to 3 months |
Yeast breads | 6 months |
Yeast dough | 2 weeks |
Note: When freezing liquids or foods with liquid, be sure to leave space in the container forexpansion.
Food-FreezingTips
- To freeze or not to freeze?Foods that shouldn’t be frozenincludeeggs in shells and food in cans. (Once food is out of a can, it may be frozen.) Pressurized liquids also shouldn’t be frozen, as they can expand andburst.
- Freeze at 0°F (-18°C). To retain vitamin content, color, flavor, and texture, freeze items at peak freshnessand store at 0°F or lower. Food stored constantly at 0°F will always be safe to thaw and eat; only quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage. (However, freshness and quality at the time of freezing will affect the condition of frozenfoods.)
- Label foods for easy identification. Write the dish name/contents, number of servings (1 quart=4 servings; 1 pint=2 servings), and date on containers orbags.
- Freeze individually. To prevent sticking, spread food to be frozen (berries, hamburgers, cookies, etc.) on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid. Then, place in plastic bags and into the freezer.Freezer burn happens when food isn’t stored properly in the freezer, causing moisture to escape and turn into ice crystals. Although the food is still edible, this coating of ice “burns” the food, causing it to have a drier texture and lessflavor.
- Avoid freezer burn (ice crystals) by using plastic freezer bags instead ofstorage containers. You’ll often see a layer freezer burn with ice cream. Food with freezer burn is still edible but it has a drier texture and lessflavor.
- Freeze for guests. Most cookies freeze well and thaw quickly—a convenience when entertaining. Simply cover a plate of assorted cookies with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put it in thefreezer.
- Freeze foods more quicklyby placing them directly against the side of thefreezer.
- Organize your freezer by food. Arrange the freezer’s contents by food category to make things easier to find and minimize the time the freezer door isopen.
- Leave the freezer be. If power is interrupted or if the freezer is not operating normally, do not open the freezer door unless absolutely necessary. Food in a loaded freezer usually stays frozen for up to 2days.
RefreezingFoods
- Once food has thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost throughdefrosting.
- After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. And if previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unusedportion.
- If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry, or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly and kept at 40°F or below at alltimes.
Effects ofFreezing
If frozen for too long, the quality of some foods will suffer. Here are someexamples:
- Canned ham … will become watery andsoft
- Cottage cheese, sour cream, cooked eggs, yogurt, mayonnaise … texture willsuffer
- Crumb toppings … will becomesoggy
- Fried foods … may becomerancid
- Home-stuffed whole poultry on the carcass … may become contaminated due to freezing orthawing
- Lettuce, cabbage, radishes, green onions, celery … will becomemushy
- Milk, cream, custard, and meringue filings … willseparate
- Sauces heavy in fat … may separate orcurdle
- Whipping cream … may notre-whip
If any food changes from its original color, this doesn’t mean that the food is unsafe to eat, but it’s a sign that it will not necessarily taste the same or it will lackflavor.
LearnMore
Discoverthe best way to freeze blueberries! Plus, find out how to freeze other foods, such ascookies, corn, and spinach.
Do you have any freezer storage tips? Let us know in thecomments!