How Long Can You Store Food in the Freezer? (Chart)

My favorite purchase by far has been (drum roll)…. yep, my freezer!

Maybe it eats up too much electricity and space, but it has saved me MANY trips to the store – so for now it’s staying!

I often forget everyone is not as obsessed with freezers as I am, and it might because they don’t realize everything you can store in them! I store nearly anything I want, for as long as I want in mine (which is not recommended, so consult the infographic below for proper storage times ;)

And I really am going to defrost my freezer one of these days – it’s made it on my to-do list at least!

Reasons to Store Food in the Freezer:

There are many ways to cut costs at home without making any big sacrifices. Most of these frugal tricks only require patience and the will to do it.

For example, freezing food as an organized household activity can significantly improve your eating habits while saving the family budget.

Here’s how:

Families that carefully plan out their monthly or weekly shopping often shop for groceries in bulk and prepare the food for freezing on weekends, when they have more time. This ensures that no food gets forgotten in the fridge or pantry and is thrown away in the end.

Freezing food also enables people to maintain a healthy nutrition. By preparing and freezing veggies, fruits, meat and even cooked meals, you don’t have to spend too much time getting meals ready on those crazy days – we all have them!

Frozen Food Recommended Storage Times

The following infographic is a guide to proper food freezing and storage. It shows information on how long we can keep different groceries in the freezer and shows what types of food do not freeze well.

This resource also works as a reminder to always properly package food and apply labels with information about the contents of the food packaging and date it was frozen.

Extra Freezer Tips:

Food preservation in cold temperatures has been practiced since the early days of mankind, although not as effortlessly as today when we have powerful freezers, polythene bags and plastic containers, freezer labels and other utensils that help us better preserve food. We also have the knowledge of how to do it properly.

To make sure defrosted food is as fresh, nutritious and tasty as before freezing it, there are certain rules to follow. For example:

• Food should always be frozen at the peak of its ripeness/freshness;
• Some types of food do not freeze well, such as eggs in shell or potatoes;
• Liquids expand in cold temps, so it’s important to leave enough room in the container when freezing beverages, etc.

Most importantly, we must know how long we can store food in the freezer before it loses its taste or even becomes unsafe to eat (if air gets in).

Go ahead and print off the infographic above to keep on your fridge or freezer for quick reference when freezing food!

P.S. Here’s one of my favorite freezer meals if you’re still wondering what to put in your freezer