Storing food by freezing it can help you save both time and money. A freezer can be a home cook’s best friend that can enable you to preserve food in bulk, prepare your meals ahead of time, as well as keep a supply handy for the difficult times. You can freeze nearly all types of food with the exception of canned food items and eggs that still have shells on them. Canned food can only be frozen once the food item in question has been removed safely from the can.
Safe Food Storage
Being able to freeze your meals and doing it properly so that you can still enjoy the quality after you have defrosted are two completely different things. There are certain types of food that simply do not take well to the freezing process such as cream sauce. Other types of food such as poultry as well as raw meat are excellent candidates for freezing and often maintain their quality longer than most others. Therefore, for you to enjoy frozen meals, it is essential that you learn everything that you can about the freezing process. Here is everything that you need to know about proper food storage:
Are frozen foods safe for consumption?
Eating fresh food is something that most people aspire to, but it is not always convenient, which is why many people prefer to freeze their food. In any case, frozen food that has been stored at 0 °F will always be safe for consumption. The only thing that suffers once the food has been frozen is its quality.
Does freezing kill bacteria and parasites in food?
When food is frozen at 0 °F it inactivates any bacteria, mould, yeast, microbes and any other food spoiling bacteria that may be present in the food. When frozen for extended periods, microorganisms that lead to both food spoilage and foodborne illnesses cannot grow. However, once defrosted, the thawing process activates the microbes again and can even cause them to multiply under the right conditions, which can cause illness when consumed. As such, you must learn how to handle thawed foods as you would any perishable of fresh food.
How should meat for the freezer be wrapped?
The best material for wrapping meat for freezing is anything that is moisture proof and anything that can seal air out so that the moisture is locked in. as such, materials such as freezer storage bags, freezer paper that has been coated with plastic as well as plastic warps would make great materials for freezing meat. Frozen meat can be cooked properly without thawing it although the cooking time will probably be extended.
What is freezer burn and is dangerous?
When food is stored using improper storage materials that contain holes that allow air to enter, the surface dries out leaving greyish brow leathery spots. These spots are harmless when eaten but because the surface is dehydrated, it will taste tough and bland when cooked. When cooking frozen foods, you can easily remove freezer burn by cutting it away with a knife.
What is the best way to store cooked poultry and meat?
After cooking, you should try and remove bones from your meat and poultry before freezing, ensure that you wrap the cooked meat tightly to release as much air as you can and then seal and freeze the meat items at 0°F or below.
How should you defrost frozen meat?
Frozen meat can easily be defrosted in the fridge, using cold water or in the microwave oven. You should never attempt to defrost any store-wrapped meat in your microwave as the shrink wrap or storage material used may contain PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and a host of other chemicals that can migrate from the wrapping and into the food when heated. Before attempting to defrost meat in a microwave, be sure to remove the sore wrapping as well as the foam tray to keep your food safe.
Can you keep meat stored in a freezer safely for more than a year?
As long as the meat remains in the freezer under stable conditions that will keep it frozen throughout, it is entirely possible to keep your meat stored in a freezer for extended periods that run up to a year or more. The only thing that will be different is the quality of the food. To keep your meat stored in the best conditions possible, it is best to wrap it properly and maintain a consistent freezer temperature so that it can maintain its flavour for much longer.
Refrigerator Storage Chart
Meat to be stored in a refrigerator should be kept below 40 °F. Your meat should be refrigerated immediately after it is brought home. Before that, it should be transported in an insulated container or an ice chest until it is ready for storage in the refrigerator.
Packaged whole cuts of fresh meat can be kept in the refrigerated for 3 to 5 days after purchase in their original wrappings as long as they are stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Ground meat can be kept safely in the same conditions for 1 or 2 days. Cooked meat, on the other hand, should not be refrigerated for longer than 2 or 3 days while cooked ground meat can only be kept safely for 1 to 2 days.
Freezing Food Storage Chart
Whole cuts of meat should be frozen if you do not have any intention of cooking it within 3 to 5 days after the day of purchase. Ground meat, alternatively, should be kept in a freezer within 1 to 2 days of purchase. You should wrap your meat properly in an aluminium foil or store it in freezer paper before freezing to keep it safe and to prevent freezer burn from developing on its surface. Make sure that you label your meat with the date of storage so that you can consume them in time. Meat that contains any gravy, sauce or a mix of other ingredients should be stored in a rigid container that has a tight-fitting lid to prevent food spoilage.
FOOD | FREEZER |
|
|---|---|---|
| Fresh Meats | Refrigerator: 35-40º F. - Days | |
| Chops | 3-5 | |
| Roasts | 3-5 | |
| Steaks | 3-5 | |
| Stew Meats | 1-2 | |
| Ground Meats | 1-2 | |
| Variety Meats | 1-2 | |
| Sausage | 1-2 | |
| Cured Processed Meats (opened packages) | Refrigerator: 35-40º F. - Days | |
| Bacon | 7 | |
| Hot Dogs | 7 | |
| Ham | Refrigerator: 35-40º F. - Days | |
| Whole | 7 | |
| Half | 3-5 | |
| Slices | 3-4 | |
| Canned, Unopened | 6-9 months | |
| Luncheon Meats | Refrigerator: 35-40º F. - Days | |
| 3-5 | ||
| Corned Beef | Refrigerator: 35-40º F. - Days | |
| Drained and Wrapped | 7 | |
| In Unopened, Heavy Plastic | 45 | |
| Sausage | Refrigerator: 35-40º F. - Days | |
| Raw Pork, Beef, Turkey | 1-2 | |
| Smoked (Links, Patties) | 7 | |
| Dry & Semi-Dry | 2-3 weeks | |
| Cooked Meats | Refrigerator: 35-40º F. - Days | |
| Cooked Meat, and Meat Dishes | 3-4 | |
| Gravy & Meat Broth | 1-2 | |
| Commercially Frozen Meats | Refrigerator: 35-40º F. - Days | |
| Ground Meat | 3 | |
| Thin Steaks | 3 | |
| Meat Dinners | 3 | |
| Meat Pies | 3 | |
| Meats, Fresh | ||
| Chicken or turkey, pieces | 9-12 months | |
| Chicken or turkey, whole | 1 year | |
| Ducks, geese, game birds | 6 months | |
| Ground meat or stew, giblets | 3-4 months | |
| Lamb, roast or chops | 6-9 months | |
| Pork, roasts or chops | 4-6 months | |
| Sausage | 1-2 months | |
| Variety meats: heart, liver, etc. | 3-4 months | |
| Beef roasts | 9 to 12 months | |
| Beef steaks | 6 to 9 months | |
| Ground beef, veal, lamb | 3 to 4 months | |
| Ground pork | 1 to 3 months | |
| Ground poultry | 3 to 4 months | |
| Pork and veal roasts, chops | 4 to 6 months | |
| Lamb roasts, chops | 6 to 9 months | |
| Poultry, whole | 1 year | |
| Poultry parts | 6 to 9 months | |
| Variety meats (giblets, tongue, kidneys, liver, heart, etc.) | 3 to 4 months | |
| Meats, Cooked | ||
| Smoked breakfast sausage | 1-2 months | |
| Ham, hotdogs, luncheon meats | 1-2 months | |
| Cooked, leftover meat, gravy | 2-3 months | |
| Cooked, leftover poultry | 4-6 months | |
| Leftover chicken nuggets | 1-3 months | |
| Cured or Processed Meats | ||
| Bacon | 1 month | |
| Corned beef | 1 to 2 months | |
| Ham | 2 months | |
| Hot dogs, lunch meat | 1 to 2 months | |
| Sausage | 1 to 2 months | |
| Seafood, Fresh | ||
| Fresh lean fish: cod, flounder, trout, haddock, halibut, pollack, perch | 4-6 months | |
| Fresh fatty fish: Mullet, salmon, swordfish, mackerel, bluefish, tuna smelt | 2-3 months | |
| Shellfish | 3 months | |
| Cooked Fish | ||
| Fish sticks, commercial | 18 months | |
| Breaded shrimp, commercial | 1 year | |
| Breaded scallops, commercial | 16 months | |
| Cooked pieces | 3 months | |
| *Not recommended due to safety issues. | ||
| Cooked Meats and Combinations | ||
| Casseroles | 4 months | |
| Home-cooked plain meat & poultry | 2 to 3 months | |
| Meat in broth or gravy | 2 to 3 months | |
| Poultry in broth or gravy | 6 months | |
| Fried chicken | 4 months | |
| Stews | 3 to 4 months | |
| Chicken nuggets or patties | 1 to 3 months | |
| Meat pies | 2 to 3 months | |
| Prepared dinners | 2 to 3 months | |
| TV dinners | 2 to 6 months |