Food won't go bad in the freezer, but it will decrease in quality over time. Avoid freezer burn and other frozen food woes by only buying as much as you can use in a reasonable amount of time. The following chart lists the recommended freezing time for common foods:
| Food | Shelf Life | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and Seafood | ||
| Bacon | 1-2 months | How to Package Meat for Freezing |
| Chicken or turkey, whole | 1 year | |
| Chicken, pieces | 9 months | |
| Chops (pork, veal, lamb) | 4-12 months | |
| Fish | 3-8 months | |
| Ground meats | 3-4 months | |
| Ham | 1-2 months | |
| Hot dogs | 1-2 months | |
| Lunch Meat | 3-4 months | |
| Organ meats | 1-2 months | |
| Roast | 4-12 months | |
| Sausage, smoked | 1-2 months | |
| Sausage, uncooked | 1-2 months | |
| Shellfish | 3-12 months | |
| Steak | 6-12 months | |
| Wild game, uncooked | 8-12 months | |
| Dairy | ||
| Butter | 6-9 months | How to Freeze Butter |
| Buttermilk | 3 months | |
| Cheese, hard | 6 months | |
| Cheese, shredded | 2-3 months | |
| Egg substitute | 12 months | |
| Eggs, shelled | 12 months | How to Freeze Eggs |
| Ice cream | 2-4 months | |
| Milk | 3 months | |
| Leftovers | ||
| Broth | 2-3 month | |
| Casseroles | 2-3 months | |
| Chicken nuggets/patties | 1-3 months | |
| Fish | 3 months | |
| Gravy | 2-3 month | |
| Meat or poultry | 2-6 months | |
| Pasta | 2 months | |
| Pizza | 1-2 months | |
| Soups and stews | 2-3 months | |
| Baked Goods | ||
| Bread/rolls, unbaked | 1 month | |
| Bread, baked | 2-3 months | |
| Cake, baked (frosted) | 1 month | |
| Cake, baked (unfrosted) | 2-4 months | |
| Cookie dough | 3 months | |
| Cookies, baked | 6-12 months | |
| Pie, fruit (baked) | 6-8 months | |
| Pie, fruit (unbaked) | 2-4 months | |
| Pie, pumpkin | 1-2 months | |
| Rolls, yeast | 3-6 months | |
| Fruits and Vegetables | 8-12 months | |
| Other | ||
| Nuts, salted | 6-8 months | |
| Nuts, unsalted | 9-12 months | How to Store Nuts |
| ©Erin Huffstetler, Frugalliving.about.com |
Sources: USDA, National Center for Food Preservation, Food Marketing Institute
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