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.
Food Safety // foodborn illness // food safety glossary // HAACP// employee hygiene // pest control // calibrating thermometers // safe food temperatures // taking food temperatures // health inspections posted online // about restaurant health inspections // handling food safely // using gloves // Dishwashing // work safety // safe food storage // food product recalls / / hand washing // food labeling // keeping your restaurant clean / / defrosting food safely //
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