A common question for anyone who owns a home freezer: how long does food last? or more precisely: how long does it stay fresh and taste good? First of all your freezer should be at 0 degrees or lower. Then be sure to wrap twice with plastic, foil, baggies or plastic containers and date. It's surprising how often you forget how old something is. If you simply have some labels and a marker on hand, then get in the habit of dating and naming everything that goes in the freezer, that way you'll know exactly how old everything is, and you won't have to guess. These are all approximate guidelines, various factors will have an affect on the food such as how often you open up the freezer, how well packaged the food is etc... It's a good idea to at least once a year do a thorough cleaning and throw away any old food and also to defrost the freezer at this point. How Long To Store Food in Freezer Guidelines
| Product
| Time
| | | | Baked Goods
| | Bread
| 3 months
| Cakes
| 3 - 5 months
| Cookies
| 6 months
| Pies & Pastry
| 2 months
| | | | Dairy
| | Butter
| 6 months
| Cheese
| 4 months
| Ice Cream
| 1 - 3 months
| Egg Whites
| 6 months
| Egg Yolks
| 8 months
| | | | Fish & Shellfish
| | Fat Fish
| 3 months
| Lean Fish
| 6 months
| Shellfish
| 3 months
| | | | Poultry
| | Whole Chicken
| 3 - 6 months
| Chicken Pieces
| 3 months
| Cooked Chicken
| 1 month
| Turkey
| 6 months
| | | | Meat
| | Beef
| 6 - 12 months
| Pork
| 3 - 6 months
| Lamb
| 6 - 9 months
| Veal
| 6 - 9 months
| Ground Meats
| 3 - 4 months
| Ham
| 1 - 2 months
| Bacon
| 1 month
| Hot Dogs
| 1 month
| Sausage
| 2 months
| Variety Meats
| 3 - 4 months
| Leftover cooked meat
| 3 months
| | | | Vegetables
| | Commercially frozen
| 8 months
| Home frozen
| 12 months
| | | | Fruits
| | Commercially frozen
| 12 months
| Home frozen
| 12 months
|
|
