Kitchen Tip Tuesdays

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!!