There is a common misconception that you can freeze meats and other food items for years, and that isn't necessarily the safest option. This printable freezer storage chart will help you determine how long meats and other foods are safe for consumption after freezing, and can be printed, saved to your iPad or iPhone or bookmarked for future reference.
How Long Does Food Last in the Freezer?
Buying and freezing meats and other foods in bulk and freezing them is not only budget friendly, but also makes meal planning easier. While freezing foods is a great way to save money since you can buy meats and other items on sale and store them until you are ready to use them, that doesn't mean they are safe to eat forever. There are also some foods that should never be frozen and different lengths of time that each food is safe to use once frozen. This Printable Freezer Storage Chart will help you determine just how long each food is safe to keep in your freezer. You can also check out my Refrigerator Storage Chart to determine how long different foods last in your refrigerator. You can print the charts and place them on your fridge, save them to your tablet, phone or iPad or bookmark them for future reference!
Click HERE to Download and/or Print my Printable Freezer Storage Chart
FREE PRINTABLE CHARTS AND CHECKLISTS
I love sharing printables and charts that help make life a little easier...check out my other printables that you can easily print from home, have printed in store, download to your phone or tablet or simply bookmark for future reference!
- Printable Refrigerator Storage Safety Chart
- Printable Cleaning Checklist for Daily, Weekly and Monthly Cleaning
- How to Cut a Recipe in Half - Printable Kitchen Conversion Chart
- Printable Labels for Homemade Cleaners
- Printable Meat Temperature Safety Chart
- Printable Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart
- Printable Air Fryer Cooking Times Chart
How Long Does Meat Last in the Freezer?
The short answer is, it depends on which type of meat you want to freeze. I wish I had a quicker answer for you, but the truth is, they are all different. Steaks, beef roasts and chicken can be frozen for close to a year, ground beef for a few months, and chicken nuggets for only one to three months.
How Long Does Ground Beef Last in the Freezer?
Most people believe that ground beef can last in a freezer for months on end, but to ensure it is safe to eat and cook with, it should only be stored in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Can You Freeze Lunch Meat and Hot Dogs?
Yes, you can freeze lunch or deli meat and hot dogs. As long as you use them within 2 months of freezing them and they are frozen in airtight containers or baggies, then they should be perfectly safe to freeze, thaw, then eat!
Can You Freeze Bread?
You can totally freeze breads, cake, doughnuts, tortillas and more!
How to Store Freezer Items Safely
They key to making sure that your frozen meats and food items stay the most fresh and safe to eat, it's super important to freeze them in either airtight, freezable containers or plastic wrap. Once they get air in them, freezer burn can start and ruin the freshness of your food. Below is a list of items that I use when freezing foods...
My favorite tool is my Foodsaver! I like to buy my meat in bulk at Costco, then I come home and divide it up into portions that I know my family will use. I label them and place them in the freezer and can pull them out when I'm ready to thaw and use them. The foodsaver pulls out any air, so that my meats are frozen air tight and no freezer burn can occur. Then once I pull each thing out, I can thaw them in cold water and it doesn't leak into the container and get my meats mushy and wet. I've had my same Foodsaver for over 6 years now and use it weekly!
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Freezable Containers
- Foodsaver
- Ball Canning Jars (great for soups and liquids)
- Reusable Gallon Freezer Bags
- Freezer Safe Glass Storage Containers
I hope these easy tips on how long to freeze your foods and how to freeze them properly helps you and your family! If you are looking for more home cleaning tips and tricks, be sure to check our my page with hundreds of easy Home Tips HERE!
Rebecca Payne says
Thank you for sharing!
Morgan says
Thank you! This is so helpful & I have the refrigerator and freezer charts posted in my kitchen cabinets now for future reference.