Freezer Guide
How long will groceries stay good in the freezer? Our Freezer Guide gives guidelines to how long foods can reasonably be stored in the freezer.
Meats
- Beef – 12 months
- Cooked Meats – 3 months
- Ground Meats – 3 months
- Lamb – 9 months
- Liver – 2 months
- Pork – 6 months
- Poultry, raw – 6 months
Dairy
- Butter, pasteurized – 6 months
- Cheese – 6 months
- Cream Cheese – 4 months
- Ice Cream – 4 months
- Whipping Cream – 3 months
Miscellaneous
- Cakes, Cookies and Breads – 3 to 4 months
- Coconut -12 months
- Egg Whites, out of shell -12 months
- Egg Yolks, out of shell – 3 months (Add 1/8 tsp. salt or 1/2 tsp. sugar for every 4 egg yolks)
- Fruits and Juices – 12 months
- Nuts – 12 months
- Vegetables – 12 months
Things That Don’t Freeze Well
- Cooked egg whites
- Mayonnaise Salad Dressings
- Canned refrigerator biscuits, Danish rolls, cinnamon rolls, croissant dough (You can bake these and then freeze.)
- Salad greens
- Raw tomatoes (You can freeze raw tomatoes but they should only be used for cooking.)
- Custards
- Cream pies with meringue
- Grapes (unless eating frozen)
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Photo By: mmchicago
How long can strawberries last in the deep freeze?
Natalie, they can last up to a year. Surprisingly most things don’t really “spoil” to the point you can’t eat them what usually happens is they get freezer burn and if not properly wrapped will pick up odors or flavors from other foods and that makes them not taste as good and sometimes changes the texture.
I froze some strawberries, but when i went to use them, as they thawed they turned to mush
That is what frozen strawberries do. You usually can only use them for sauces, toppings or to make jam after you freeze them but I eat straight by only partially thawing them. Good for smoothies too.
[...] months ahead of time, put a bag or container in the freezer and throw in those unused heels of bread or slices of dry bread to use for [...]
When I defrost or just clean out my freezer, I put all the frozen food in my washing machine and close the lid, or if it is too full, I put a folded quilt on it . Then it is still frozen when I am through. Usually the tub will be frosted on the side. If something gets messy in there, I run a small amount of water and let it spin out. Of coarse , The bags of ice or ice cream go in the refrigerator’s freezer.
Jill,
I have a question about freezing chicken. I bought some chicken breasts on sale earlier this year and put them in my deep freezer raw. Reading your guide, it looks like raw chicken should only be frozen about 6 months. I checked Dining on a Dime out at the library recently and I think I remember reading in there that you can take meat that had been frozen for awhile like that out of the freezer, cook it and then freeze it again. Am I correct?
If so, I think I will thaw the chicken breasts in the fridge, boil, shred and then put in the deep freezer to use in casseroles and skillet meals. And then I need to use it in about 3 months?
Thanks.
Normally Angie I will keep it about 4 months or so, cook it and then keep it for another 3 months. You don’t need to worry about it really spoiling what happens is the longer you leave anything in the freezer the more it looses it’s flavor or picks up flavor from other things so it is really more of how well it is wrapped and a couple of other things like that. Those times are just a general guide line.