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    What and how to store foods in your Refrigerator & Freezer to keep it fresh



 

Refrigerator:  

Meat, poultry: Put anywhere inside the fridge except the door, unless your deli bin has a temperature control. If so, set it on the coldest level and stash items there.  

Fruit: Stick these in a drawer, separate from vegetables. Got a humidity-control vent? Keep it partly open moisture speeds up spoiling.  

Vegetables: These go in the crisper. If you have a humidity-control vent, close it. That way, damp air will be trapped inside and your veggies will absorb moisture, which helps them stay fresh longer.  

Milk, eggs, yogurt: Put anyplace but the door the temp there can get too warm (sour city).  

Butter: Store in the door because it's warmer your butter will spread more smoothly.     

The best temperature to...     

Prevent spoiling: Set the main section of the fridge to 37 degrees and consider 40 and above a danger zone. The freezer should stay at zero or a little lower.     

The best way to avoid...      

Freezer burn: Your mission: Keep air away from food. Freezer bags will help, and they'll also prevent odors from circulating in your fridge. When using storage containers, fill them almost to the top that will protect leftovers from burn while giving food enough room to expand.  

Freezer:  

Foods frozen for longer than the recommended times aren't harmful they just won't be at their peak flavor and texture.    

FOOD - TIME IN FREEZER (0°F)

Milk - 3 months  

Butter - 6 to 9 months  

Cheese, hard (Cheddar, Swiss) - 6 months   

Cheese, soft (Brie, Bel Paese) - 6 months  

Cream, half-and-half - 4 months  

Sour cream - don't feeze  

Eggs (raw yolks, whites) - 1 year  

Frankfurters (opened or unopened packages) - 1 to 2 months  

Luncheon meats (opened or unopened packages) - 1 to 2 months  

Bacon - 1 month  

Sausage, raw, links or patties - 1 to 2 months  

Ham, fully cooked (whole, half, slices) - 1 to 2 months  

Ground or stew meat - 3 to 4 months  

Steaks - 6 to 12 months  

Chops - 3 to 6 months  

Roasts - 4 to 12 months  

Chicken or turkey, whole - 1 year  

Chicken or turkey, pieces - 9 months  

Casseroles, cooked, poultry - 4 to 6 months  

Casseroles, cooked, meat - 2 to 3 months  

Soups and stews - 2 to 3 months  

Fish, lean (cod, flounder, haddock) - 6 months  

Fish, fatty (bluefish, mackerel, salmon) - 2 to 3 months  

Fish, cooked - 4 to 6 months  

Fish, smoked - 2 months in vacuum pack  

Shrimp, scallops, squid, shucked clams, mussels, oysters - 3 to 6 months  

Pizza - 1 to 2 months  

Breads and rolls, yeast - 3 to 6 month  

Breads, quick - 2 to 3 months  

Cakes, unfrosted - 3 months  

Cheesecakes - 2 to 3 months  

Cookies, baked - 3 months  

Cookie dough, raw - 2 to 3 months  

Pies, fruit, unbaked - 8 months  

Pies, custard or meringue-topped - don't freeze  

Piecrust, raw - 2 to 3 months  

Nuts, salted - 6 to 8 months  

Nuts, unsalted - 9 to 12 months