Are you wondering how long the food in your freezer will last? Here are some guidelines I found on Real Simple:
- Chicken or turkey pieces, uncooked: 9 months
- Fruit pies, unbaked: 8 months
- Fruit: 6 to 12 months
- Steaks, uncooked: 6 to 12 months
- Butter: 6 to 9 months
- Lean fish: 6 months
- Roasts, uncooked: 4 to 12 months
- Chicken or turkey, cooked: 4 to 6 months
- Chops, uncooked: 4 to 6 months
- Shellfish, uncooked: 3 to 6 months
- Hamburger: 3 to 4 months
- Bread and cake: 3 months
- Cookies, baked or dough: 3 months
- Meat casseroles, cooked: 3 months
- Fatty fish: 2 to 3 months
- Soups and stews: 2 to 3 months
- Ice cream and sorbet: 2 months
- Ham, cooked: 1 to 2 months
- Bacon: 1 month
According to Real Simple:
Times are based on a freezer set at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Storing and eating frozen foods past these deadlines isn’t dangerous, but flavors and textures will begin to deteriorate.
Image from here.
I personally have found that how long things last and remain safe and tasty to eat really depends on your freezer, and where the meats purchased! Any farm fresh frozen beef, or poultry is good in our freezer for 12+ months, but from my own experience when I lived alone and bought the same meat (my fathers a beef farmer) at my apartment it was only good for up to 6 months! Here I find my chest freezer keeps food much better than my fridge freezer, has anyone else found this too?
Oh totally, I find that my deep freeze will keep things “fresher” much longer than my fridge freezer.