To properly store food in the refrigerator and freezer, adhere to the tips listed below. The limited time frames for home-refrigerated foods will prevent them from going bad or becoming unsafe to consume. The guidelines for freezer storage are only for quality; continuously frozen foods kept at 0 °F or lower can be kept for an endless amount of time.
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How do I store meat in the freezer?
First, ensure that all of your foods, including meat, are being frozen at or below 0° Fahrenheit. This is the temp that keeps food safe. Meat can be frozen in its original packaging, but the FDA advises using heavy-duty packaging, such as foil, plastic wrap, or freezer bags, if you intend to store it in your freezer for more than two months. You can seal protein inside an airtight , too. Utilize one of our top-rated, best vacuum sealers to preserve freshness.
How long does frozen meat last?
Whole chickens and turkeys can be frozen for up to a year. Giblets should only be stored for three to four months and should be consumed within nine months of purchase of the turkey or chicken.
Beef, Veal, & Lamb
For six to twelve months, raw steaks can be kept in the freezer. Chops can be frozen for four to six months, but roasts can last up to a year.
Similar to beef, uncooked pork can be stored in the freezer for up to a year in the form of roasts and chops, respectively. Bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham, and lunch meats made from processed pork shouldn’t be kept in the freezer for more than one to two months.
While fatty fish only lasts two to three months in the freezer, lean fish can be stored there for up to six months.
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Bass, cod, tuna, and tilapia are examples of common lean fish, while mackerel, salmon, and sardines are examples of common fatty fish.
Other fresh seafood, like squid, scallops, crawfish, and shrimp, should keep in the freezer for three to six months.
For three to four months, ground beef, turkey, lamb, or veal will retain their quality in the freezer. (The same goes for hamburger meat!).
Cooked & Leftover Meat
Cooked meat doesn’t keep its quality in the freezer as long as raw meat does: Beef, veal, lamb, and pork shouldn’t be kept in the freezer for more than two to three months. Cooked fish can be kept in the freezer for four to six months.
Hannah Jeon writes expert-driven commerce content for everything related to health, wellness, and beauty as an associate commerce editor for Prevention. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and psychology, and was formerly the editorial assistant at Good Housekeeping. When she’s not searching online for the best products, you can usually find her exploring new restaurants in New York City or clicking away with a camera.
As an assistant editor for the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Samantha (she/her) writes about delectable recipes, must-try food items, and tried-and-true tips for successful home cooking. Since joining GH in 2020, she has tasted hundreds of products and recipes (a difficult job!). She is a Fordham University alum and believes that her happy place is in the kitchen.