Freezer Tips

Nothing is worse than solving a frozen zip-lock gallon bag mystery. I once thawed an ameba shaped bag thinking I was preparing for a ham and bean dinner. 4 hours later I realized that it was chocolate chip cookie dough. The kids were happy!

The biggest problem with freezer bags is the funky frozen shapes you get, not to mention the difficulty of filling them and leakage. Now I use foil bread pans to freeze most of my soupy creations. One large bread pan or an oblong cake pan is just about the right amount for my family. I fill the pan, cover it with foil and place in the freezer overnight. The next day I pop the frozen food out of the pan and place the “brick” into a LABELED freezer bag. Food stacks more easily in my freezer, the bread pan shape easily fits into my oval crock-pot, the cake pan shape fits into a glass dish for microwaving, and more importantly, we’re not eating cookies for dinner anymore!

Freezer life for maximum taste quality

Item	Months
Casseroles	2 to 3
Bacon and Sausage	1 to 2
Egg whites or egg substitutes	12
Gravy, meat or poultry	2 to 3
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats	1 to 2
Meat, uncooked roasts	4 to 12
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops	4 to 12
Meat, uncooked ground	3 to 4
Meat, cooked	2 to 3
Poultry, uncooked whole	12
Poultry, uncooked parts	9
Poultry, uncooked giblets	3 to 4
Poultry, cooked	4
Soups and Stews	2 to 3
Wild game, uncooked	8 to 12

Source USDA Safe Food Handling, Focus: Freezer

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