Sunday, September 26, 2010

How long can you store food in the freezer?

The bordering on freezer burnt chicken breasts led me to wonder to myself how long it is actually advisable to store food in one's freezer.  I came across this chart which I thought I would share.


How long you can store food in the freezer?
Food
Months
Food
Months




Bacon and sausage
1 to 2
Meat, uncooked ground
3 to 4
Casseroles
2 to 3
Meat, cooked
2 to 3
Egg whites or egg substitutes
12
Poultry, uncooked whole
12
Frozen dinners and entrees
3 to 4
Poultry, uncooked parts
9
Gravy, meat or poultry
2 to 3
Poultry, uncooked giblets
3 to 4
Ham, hot dogs and lunchmeats
1 to 2
Poultry, cooked
4
Meat, uncooked roasts
4 to 12
Soups and stews
2 to 3
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops
4 to 12
Wild game, uncooked
8 to 12
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture




We bought a vacuum sealer a couple of years ago when we got tired of the freezer bags leaking water into our food when we tried to defrost meat or chicken in water in the sink.  It was a great purchase and I think has saved us lots of money in terms of saving food from getting freezer burnt.  No snow in with the chicken or sausage :-)   Now I just have to figure out a system so that all the chicken we buy and package doesn't get pushed to the bottom of the chest freezer.  

1 comment:

  1. Thanks Foodiemom!
    This is an excellent resource and I am printing it out and sticking it to my fridge. :D

    ReplyDelete