How to Freeze Food Safely
As couponers, we freeze a lot of food. And, the questions always comes up, how long can I freeze that item? Here is a list of how to safely package, freeze and thaw your food.
Items to Freeze
You can freeze everything except canned food and eggs in shells. Some foods may not taste as good defrosted such as creamy substances, but they can still be frozen as well. Make sure you also check out a complete list of foods that you can freeze.
Is frozen food safe?
Frozen food is safe if it is kept at 0° F. The quality and freshness will be the only thing that will change after the meat is frozen if it is in the freezer for to long. If you freeze your meat as quick as possible, the freshness and taste will stay in the meat when it is cooked.
Proper Packaging
Packaging your meat correctly in the freezer can prevent freezer burn and helps maintain the meats quality. It is safe to store meat in its original packaging, but the quality of the meat won’t be as good. The best way to store it would be in vacuum sealed packages. Freezer burn does not make meat unsafe!
Safe Thawing
There are some great tips on thawing your meats.
- never thaw meat in a garage, basement, car, on the kitchen counter, outdoors or on the porch
- Thaw food in the refrigerator
- Thaw food in cold water (in a plastic bag/change the water every 30 min)
- thaw food in the microwave – eat immediately
- If food is thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze it
“Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing.”
Freezer Storage Times
Freezing food (at 0° F) keeps food safe indefinitely, so these storage times are really for quality reasons.
- 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
Cindy Livesey is the force behind Living Rich With Coupons which provides its readers with all the resources they need to shop smart so they can get life’s luxuries for a lot less. Her family of 5 has saved over $11,000 a year in groceries. And you can too.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
thanks for this Cindy – I know I leave things a bit too long, but they aren’t unsafe to eat, just don’t always taste as good. I love the new sealer I bought on your tip – ($10!!) and have been looking to see where you can buy bags (I even have coupons….) let us know if you find any great match ups!! Thanks for all you do!!
Hi there- has anyone out there ever frozen Orange Juice? I know it’s a weird question but I stocked up last week at ShopRite (Tropicana in the clear carafes if that makes a difference) Any tips?
I’ve never had a problem. I have bought the two packs at BJ’s and put one in the freezer and one in the fridge. They expand a bit – but have never exploded. I don’t leave them too long though, maybe a couple weeks… tastes great when you defrost, I usually defrost overnight in the fridge, it’s still a bit frozen, but drinkable at least!
My dad’s been freezing orange juice for ages, there’s no problem. I even remember as a kid, making my own orange juice popsicles using toothpicks and an ice cube tray! The new Tropicana plastic carafes are much easier to freeze than the cartons–he’s done both, but since liquid expands when you freeze it, the cartons are more likely to leak upon thawing.
Yes, I froze the carafes last time I got them for free. It’s great having a freezer stocked with OJ!! The night before I put it in the refrig. Sometimes the middle is still frozen, like a big frozen floating piece. Shake it well. Tastes great
I freeze OJ all the time. It works great.
I think you have a typo in the last line of “safe thawing”. Shouldn’t it read:
once food is thawed in the refrigerator you CAN’T refreeze it without cooking it??
It says “can not”
It is correct. If you defrost it in the microwave or in cool water do not re freeze, but defrosting in the fridge is safe for refreeze.
“Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing.”
Hey, Cindy. A great website that I check often is stilltasty.com. They list how long every food imaginable will stay safe to eat stored in the fridge freezer or on the shelf. They also tell you how to freeze certain items. It’s really a helpful website for us stockpilers. Thanks for all you do!
Great resource… Thanks Andrew.
Great post, Cindy. With just two of us at home these day, I freeze a lot.
I had the cheap Rival food sealer, but it only vacuumed sporadically. I splurged and bought the FoodSaver at BJs for $94. So worth it! What a difference. It works each and every time. I just ordered the wide mouth jar adapter.
Great information. Most of us ignore the important guidelines for freezing the food stuff.