This is post #3 in the Frugal Food: Freezer series. Be sure to check out post #1 “Frugal Food: Foods You Can’t Freeze” and post #2 “Frugal Foods: How to Package Food for the Freezer“.
While storing food longer than the times listed in the guide below won’t affect food safety it will affect taste, nutrients and texture of the foods so it’s recommended that you label all foods in your freezer with the name of the item and the date it was placed into the freezer.
I personally prefer and upright style freezer as it’s easier to organize and find things and there’s less chance that items will get buried at the bottom of the freezer never to been seen for years. Remember, it’s not frugal to freeze food if you leave it in there so long that’s inedible!
| Fruits and Vegetables | 1 year |
|---|---|
| Butter, salted | 1 year |
| Butter, unsalted | 3 months |
| Cheese | 3months |
| Milk | up to 6 weeks |
| Margarine | 6 months |
| Egg, whites | 3 months |
| Egg, yolks mixed with 1/2tsp salt per yolk | 3 months |
| Fish, uncooked | 2 months |
| Shellfish | 2 to 4 months |
| Beef, uncooked, roast | 6 to 12 months |
| Beef, uncooked, steak | 6 to 12 months |
| Beef, uncooked, ground | 3 months |
| Lamb, uncooked | 6 to 9 months |
| Pork, uncooked, roast or chops | 3 to 6 months |
| Poultry, uncooked, pieces | 6 months |
| Poultry, uncooked, whole | 1 year |
| Beans, Lentils or Rice, cooked | 3 to 6 months |
| Casseroles | 3 months |
| Cooked meats | 2 months |
| Soups and Stews | 4 months |
| Breads, yeast, baked or unbaked | 8 months |
| Cakes, Cookies, Sweet Breads, Muffins | 4 months |
| Pastry Crust, unbaked | 2 months |
