For this week's Kitchen Tips, I am going to answer a question by one of my readers from last week's tip who left me with a question. I answered the question in the comments but I decided to bring it up to the top with more information....
Amanda said...
I've never done this before, but reading this is kinda getting me excited - I'm ready to go in my kitchen and start cooking up things to freeze. How long can you freeze a meal for?
I wrote...
Freezer meals should last in the freezer for 6-8 weeks and still have the "fresh" taste to them. As for baked goods, those can last longer in the freezer, like 3-4 months, and still have a good "fresh" taste to them.
After I wrote that I decided to go research things more to find out some specifics. Here is what I found at the USDA's site:
Freezer Storage Chart (0 °F)
Note: Freezer storage is for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.
Bacon and Sausage 1 to 2 months
Casseroles 2 to 3 months
Egg whites or egg substitutes 12 months
Frozen Dinners and Entrees 3 to 4 months
Gravy, meat or poultry 2 to 3 months
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats 1 to 2 months
Meat, uncooked roasts 4 to 12 months
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops 4 to 12 months
Meat, uncooked ground 3 to 4 months
Meat, cooked 2 to 3 months
Poultry, uncooked whole 12 months
Poultry, uncooked parts 9 months
Poultry, uncooked giblets 3 to 4 months
Poultry, cooked 4 months
Soups and Stews 2 to 3 months
Wild game, uncooked 8 to 12 months
I also found Robbyn's Friendly Freezer, where she has a freezing & thawing guide that talks about how to freeze and thaw items appropriately. She gives a guide on what freezes well and what doesn't. You can go to her main site and find links to guides on Once A Month Cooking and some tasty looking recipes for the freezer!
So Amanda, I hope that this helps you work at getting your kitchen and freezer ready for some yummy goodies for your family!
For other Kitchen Tips, head over to Tammy's Recipes!!
Amanda said...
I've never done this before, but reading this is kinda getting me excited - I'm ready to go in my kitchen and start cooking up things to freeze. How long can you freeze a meal for?
I wrote...
Freezer meals should last in the freezer for 6-8 weeks and still have the "fresh" taste to them. As for baked goods, those can last longer in the freezer, like 3-4 months, and still have a good "fresh" taste to them.
After I wrote that I decided to go research things more to find out some specifics. Here is what I found at the USDA's site:
Freezer Storage Chart (0 °F)
Note: Freezer storage is for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.
Bacon and Sausage 1 to 2 months
Casseroles 2 to 3 months
Egg whites or egg substitutes 12 months
Frozen Dinners and Entrees 3 to 4 months
Gravy, meat or poultry 2 to 3 months
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats 1 to 2 months
Meat, uncooked roasts 4 to 12 months
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops 4 to 12 months
Meat, uncooked ground 3 to 4 months
Meat, cooked 2 to 3 months
Poultry, uncooked whole 12 months
Poultry, uncooked parts 9 months
Poultry, uncooked giblets 3 to 4 months
Poultry, cooked 4 months
Soups and Stews 2 to 3 months
Wild game, uncooked 8 to 12 months
I also found Robbyn's Friendly Freezer, where she has a freezing & thawing guide that talks about how to freeze and thaw items appropriately. She gives a guide on what freezes well and what doesn't. You can go to her main site and find links to guides on Once A Month Cooking and some tasty looking recipes for the freezer!
So Amanda, I hope that this helps you work at getting your kitchen and freezer ready for some yummy goodies for your family!
For other Kitchen Tips, head over to Tammy's Recipes!!
4 comments:
Thank you SO SO much!! This tip of yours is going to help me out so much. And come this summer I'm going to try your Orange Juice & Lemonade drink...that really sounds YUMMY!!!
Great blog. I was wondering this myself a month ago. I was surprised at some of the short times. Like shredded cheese at costco said 2 months! Nice to know it is a taste issue and not a safety issue.
Thank you for that link to Robynn's Friendly Freezer! It looks like lots of fun, and I've bookmarked it. :)
Thanks for the tip. I love having meals in the freezer for the less than perfect days. LOL
Blessings,
~Martie
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