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Storage Guide For Frozen Foods
Dairy/ Eggs /Fresh
Meats /Cooked Meats / Fresh Seafood
Cooked Fish / Fruits / Vegetables / Cookies / Cakes/ Pies
Soups / Baked Products / Lunch
meats/ Casseroles/
TV Dinners / Pastries
Tips For Storing Frozen Foods
FREEZER
FOOD STORAGE
(recommended storage time) |
| DAIRY -
Store at (0 degrees Fahrenheit) |
| Butter - Store in Moisture- and vapor-proof
freezer container or wrap. |
|
Butter made from pasteurized cream: 6 to 9
months. |
| Butter - Whipped |
|
Do not freeze. Emulsion will separate. |
| Buttermilk |
|
Do not freeze. |
| Canned milk (opened) |
|
Do not freeze. |
| Camembert
cheese |
|
3 months, thaw in the refrigerator |
| Cheese -grated |
|
6-12 months |
| Cottage cheese |
|
Do not freeze creamed cottage cheese; it gets
mushy |
| Cottage, farmers'
cheese (dry curd only) |
|
3 months |
| Cheese -Hard |
|
6-12 months |
| Cheese -Neufchatel |
|
Do not freeze |
| Cheese -Processed food products (loaf, slices) |
|
4 months |
| Cheese - Rogue
fort, bleu |
|
3 months, becomes crumbly after thawing. |
| Cheese spreads |
|
Do not freeze |
| Cream - Light, heavy, half-and-half |
|
2 months |
| Cream (not-whipped) |
|
Do not freeze. (Change of texture, body appearance.
Separation of fat emulsion.) Heavy cream may not whip after
thawing. Use for cooking. |
| Cream (whipped) |
|
Do not freeze aerosol cans; others may be stored
in freezer up to one year. |
| Custards |
|
Do not freeze |
| Fresh milk |
|
3 Months. Freezing may result in change in
texture. (Freezing affects flavor and appearance) Thaw in refrigerator. |
| Ice cream - Cover with plastic wrap or foil
after each use to prevent drying out. |
|
2-3 Weeks (Opened)
2 Months (Unopened) |
| Margarine |
|
9 months |
| Sour cream |
|
Do not freeze. |
| Yogurt -Fruit/sweetened |
|
5 months |
| Yogurt- Unflavored |
|
1 month |
| EGGS (top) |
| Fresh in shell |
|
Do not freeze |
| Egg Yolks |
|
up to 1 year |
| Egg Whites |
|
up to 1 year |
| Liquid pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes
(unopened) |
|
1 year |
| Hard cooked |
|
Hard-cooked whole eggs and whites become tough
and watery when frozen, so don't freeze them. |
| MEATS, FRESH |
| Beef roasts, steaks |
|
6-12 months |
| Bacon |
|
2 weeks (Freezing cured meats is not recommended.
Saltiness encourages rancidity. If frozen, use within a month.) |
| Chicken or turkey, pieces |
|
9-12 months |
| Chicken or turkey, whole |
|
1 year |
| Chicken livers |
|
3 months |
| Duck or goose |
|
6 months |
| Frankfurters |
|
Freezing not recommended, emulsion may be broken
and product will weep |
| Game birds |
|
6 months |
| Giblets |
|
3-4 months |
| Ground meat |
|
3-4 months |
| Lamb, roasts or chops |
|
6-9 months |
| Pork, roasts or chops |
|
4-6 months |
| Stuffed pork, lamb chops or chicken breasts |
|
Do not freeze, they do not freeze well. |
| Sausage |
|
1-2 months |
| Stew Meat |
|
3-4 months |
| Variety meats: heart, liver, tongue, etc. |
|
3-4 months |
| Venison, roasts, steaks, chops |
|
6-12 months |
| MEATS, COOKED |
| Smoked breakfast sausage |
|
1-2 months |
| Whole ham (fully cooked) |
|
1-2 months |
| Half ham (fully cooked) |
|
1-2 months |
| Ham slices (fully cooked) |
|
1-2 months |
| Canned ham ("keep refrigerated" label) |
|
Do not freeze |
| Hot dogs, luncheon meats (unopened) |
|
1-2 months |
| Hot dogs, luncheon meats (opened) |
|
1-2 months |
| Cooked, leftover meat |
|
2-3 months |
| Leftover gravy and meat broth |
|
2-3 months |
| Cooked, leftover poultry |
|
4-6 months |
| Cooked, leftover chicken nuggets or patties |
|
1-3 months |
| SEAFOOD, FRESH |
| Fresh lean fish: cod, flounder, trout, haddock,
halibut, Pollack, perch |
|
4-6 months |
| Fresh fatty fish: mullet, smelt, salmon, mackerel,
bluefish, tuna and swordfish |
|
2-3 months |
| Shucked mussels and clams |
|
3- 4 months |
| Shucked oysters |
|
3-4 months |
| Shrimp, crabmeat |
|
4 months |
| Scallops |
|
3 months |
| COOKED FISH |
| Fish sticks |
|
18 months |
| Bread shrimp, commercial |
|
1 year |
| Cooked pieces |
|
3 months |
| FRUITS - Freeze
in moisture- and vapor-proof container. |
| Citrus fruit
and juice frozen at home |
|
4 to 6 months |
| Fruit juice
concentrates |
|
12 months |
| Apples |
|
8-12 months |
| Apricots, grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears,
plums |
|
8-12 months |
| Avocados |
|
8-12 months |
| Bananas, plantains |
|
8-12 months |
| Berries, cherries |
|
8-12 months |
| Grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges |
|
4-6 months |
| Guavas, papayas |
|
8-12 months |
| Kiwis |
|
4-6 months |
| Mangoes |
|
8-12 months |
| Melons |
|
8-12 months |
| Pineapple |
|
4-6 months |
| VEGETABLES |
| Home Frozen |
|
10 months |
| Purchased
frozen in cartons, plastic bags or boil-in-bags |
|
8 months |
| Artichokes |
|
Do not Freeze |
| Asparagus |
|
8-12 months |
| Beets, carrots |
|
8-12 months |
| Beans, broccoli, lima beans, peas, summer squash |
|
8-12 months |
| Cauliflower |
|
8-12 months |
| Cilantro, parsley |
|
Do not freeze |
| Corn |
|
8-12 months |
| Green onions |
|
Do not freeze |
| Celery, cabbage, chilies, green beans, peppers,
tomatoes |
|
8-12 months |
| Greens: collards, kale, mustard, spinach, Swiss
chard |
|
8-12 months |
| Lettuce and salad greens |
|
Do not Freeze |
| Mushrooms, okra |
|
8-12 months |
| Radishes |
|
Do not freeze. |
| Squash, hard |
|
8-12 months |
| BAKED PRODUCTS |
| Bread, unbaked |
|
1 month |
| Bread, yeast |
|
6-12 months |
| Muffins, rolls, quick breads |
|
2-4 months |
| Pancakes and waffles |
|
1-2 months |
| COOKIES |
| Baked |
|
4-6 months |
| Unbaked dough |
|
6 months |
| CAKES |
| Angel and sponge |
|
4-6 months |
| Cheese |
|
4-6 months |
| Fruit |
|
1 year |
| Layer cake (butter cream icing or plain) |
|
6 months |
| PASTRIES |
| Danish |
|
3 months |
| Doughnuts |
|
3 months |
| PIES |
| Chiffon pie, pumpkin pie |
|
1 month |
| Fruit pie |
|
1 year |
| Unbaked fruit pies |
|
8 months |
| TV Dinners - 3-4 months, keep frozen until ready to serve. |
| Soups - 2-3 months |
| Lunch meats - 1-2
months (in freezer wrap) |
| Frozen Casseroles - 3-4 months |
Tips
For Storing Food In The Freezer
Rotate: To
maintain product quality remember to rotate. First in, first
out (FIFO), use the oldest products first. Always place the
new products in back of the same products already on the shelf.
Check the expiration dates, the new products may be older than
the old.
Temperature: Keep
freezer temperature at or below 0 °F. If your ice cream
in not brick-solid, the temperature is above the recommended level.
Wrap: Use
moisture-proof, freezer-weight wrap, such as foil, freezer bags
and freezer paper. Remember, When folded, foil may develop
pinholes, resulting in freezer burn. The shrink-film wrap
on meats in self-serve counters allows air to enter the package
and is not suitable for freezer storage beyond two weeks. Wrap
over these packages with a moisture, vapor-proof wrap to prevent
freezer burn.
Label & Date: Label
and date all packages. Date food packages with an expiration date
according to maximum storage time recommended below. Longer storage
is not dangerous, but flavors and textures begin to deteriorate.
Monitor: Monitor
the temperature of the freezer using a thermometer.
Freeze: Freeze
home frozen foods in the coldest part of freezer. Within 24 hours,
freeze no more than three pounds of food per cubic foot of freezer
space or one-tenth of freezer capacity.
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