Freezing your own food

  •   #1  
    Rosario's AvatarRosario , 10-24-2006 09:13 AM
    How long does the food you freeze yourself usually last??

    thanks
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  •   #2  
    northernbelle's Avatarnorthernbelle , 10-24-2006 09:34 AM
    It depends on what foods you are freezing.

    Fresh foods: I freeze things like berries during the summer to use during the winter.

    Cooked dishes: I think they would only last up to 3 months. I usually use up any casseroles, etc, within 2 months. Although I have frozen chili and it lasts up to 5 months.

    Hope this helps...
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  •   #3  
    bandit2's Avatarbandit2 , 10-24-2006 09:48 AM
    Some cookbooks have a list of foods with length of time they can be frozen.
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  •   #4  
    EviesMommy's AvatarEviesMommy , 10-24-2006 10:53 AM
    As a rule of thumb casserole that are frozen should be used within 6 mths

    raw meats that are frozen including chicken, pork, beef need to be used with-in one year

    frozzen veggies, fruits, jams should be used with in 2 years.
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  •   #5  
    Rosario's AvatarRosario , 10-24-2006 11:47 AM
    oh wow, I was thinking I had to use the foods within a week!!!

    Thanks guys!!!
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  •   #6  
    sarahyu's Avatarsarahyu , 10-24-2006 12:50 PM
    You have to be careful if you have a frost-free freezer. I don't think they are good for long term storage of foods. It goes through a warming cycle every few hours to keep the frost from forming so the food don't stay at a constant temperature the entire time. I try to use my food-cooked myself- within the month. Of course, mine is several years old and may be ready to be replaced. I'd like to get a separate chest freezer for longer term storage.

    http://home.howstuffworks.com/question144.htm
    Quote:
    Every six hours or so, the timer turns on the heating coil. The heating coil is wrapped among the freezer coils. The heater melts the ice off the coils. When all of the ice is gone, the temperature sensor senses the temperature rising above 32 degrees F (0 degrees C) and turns off the heater.

    Heating the coils every six hours takes energy, and it also cycles the food in the freezer through temperature changes. Most large chest freezers therefore require manual defrosting instead -- the food lasts longer and the freezer uses less power.
    Sarah
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  •   #7  
    BlueToBlue's AvatarBlueToBlue , 10-24-2006 04:04 PM
    I have a frost-free freezer and I've definitely kept food in there for six months or longer. But I do try to eat things within 3 to 6 months, after that the quality deteriorates.

    A couple of tips:
    1) Make sure you use containers or bags that are designed for the freezer and make sure they are properly sealed.
    2) Package food in invidual servings (or two servings together if there are at least two of you in your household). That way you only have to defrost what you are going to eat. Defrosting and refreezing food causes the quality to deteriorate faster. I'll sometimes package single servings in sandwich bags and then put the sandbags in one larger freezer bag, so that I don't go through so many freezer bags.
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  •   #8  
    sarahyu's Avatarsarahyu , 10-25-2006 12:13 PM
    Maybe my freezer is just a bad one. I get freezer burn left and right even when I use the proper freezer bags-ziplock or glad. It's the base model that comes with a new house. I get nasty ice crystals in things-even pre-frozen items. Needless to say me and my freezer are not good friends.
    Sarah
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  •   #9  
    Canadian_Mickey's AvatarCanadian_Mickey , 10-25-2006 01:19 PM
    Sarah - it could be that your seal on your freezer is shot! I know that when mine doesn't close properly I get the ice crystles and such in my freezer! How old is your fridge/freezer?

    I freeze curry chicken, chilli, stirfrys etc... YUMMY!!!!
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  •   #10  
    WhitWhit's AvatarWhitWhit , 10-25-2006 01:38 PM
    My freezer in my apartment sucks and food develops freezer burn so I don't get to do that
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