Tonight’s Dinner or Trash? Freezer Food Storage Tips & Timelines

January 23rd, 2015

We’ve all been there. You open the freezer and a mystery bag from who-knows-when containing who-know-whats greets you. And when you finally figure out what the bag contains and that you put it in there x-amount of months ago, the question remains: Can you still eat this anyway?

To help you figure out what to take out for dinner and what to throw in the trash immediately, here are some helpful guidelines and tips from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the FDA to help keep your food storage habits safe.

Raw Beef Roast and Steaks

Refrigerator: 3 to 5 days
Freezer: 6 to 12 months

Raw Pork Roast and Chops

Refrigerator: 3 to 5 days
Freezer: 4 to 6 months

Raw Lamb Roast and Chops

Refrigerator: 3 to 5 days
Freezer: 6 to 9 months

Raw Veal Roast and Chops

Refrigerator: 3 to 5 days
Freezer: 4 to 6 months

Cooked Meat

Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days
Freezer: 2 to 3 months

Soup

Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days
Freezer: 2 to 3 months

Raw Chicken Pieces

Refrigerator: 1 to 2 days
Freezer: 9 months

Cooked Chicken Pieces

Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days
Freezer: 4 months

Pizza

Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days
Freezer: 1 to 2 months

Luncheon Meats

Refrigerator: 3 to 5 days
Freezer: 1 to 2 months

Raw Fatty Fish (Salmon, Tuna, etc.)

Refrigerator: 1 to 2 days
Freezer: 2 to 3 months

Raw Lean Fish (Cod, Flounder, etc.)

Refrigerator: 1 to 2 days
Freezer: 6 months

Cooked Fish

Refrigerator: 3 to 4 days
Freezer: 4 to 6 months