IMPORTANT: Do not expect your freezer to quick-
freeze any large quantity of food. Put no more
unfrozen food into the freezer than will freeze
within 24 hours. (No more than 2 to 3 pounds of
food per cubic foot of freezer space.) leave
enough space for air to circulate around pack-
ages. Be careful to leave enough room at the
front so the door can close tightly.
FOOD STORAGE CHART Storage times* will vary according to the qual- ity of the food, the type of packaging or wrap used (moisture and vapor-proof), and the stor- age temperature which should be 0°F ( -17.fYC).
Food Storage Time
FRUITS
Fruit juice concentrate ........ 12 months
Commercially frozen fruit ..... 12 months
Citrus fruit and juices ...... 4 to 6 months
Others .................... B to 12 months
VEGETABLES
Commercially frozen .......... 8 months
Home frozen .............. 8 to 12 months
MEAT
Bacon .................... 4 weeks or less
Corned beef ............. 4 weeks or less
(Salting meat shortens freezer life)
Frankfurters ..................... 1 month
Ground beef, lamb, veal ... 2 to 3 months
Roasts:
Beef .................... 6to12 months
lamb and veal .......... 6 to 9 months
Pork ..................... 4to8months
Sausage, fresh ............. 1 to 2 months
Steaks and chops:
Beef .................... 8to12 months
lamb, veal, pork ......... 3 to 4 months
FISH
Cod, flounder, haddock
sole ......................... 6months
Blue fish, salmon ........... 2 to 3 months
Mackerel, perch ........... 2 to 3 months
Breaded fish (purchased). ..... 3 months
Clams, oysters, cooked
tish, crab, scallops ....... 3 to 4 months
Alaskan king crab ............ 10 months
Shrimp, uncooked ............ 12 months
POULTRY
Chicken or turkey,
whole or parts .............. 12 months
Duck .......................... 6 months
Giblets .................... 2to3 months
Cooked poultry w/gravy ....... 6 months
Slices (no gravy) ................ 1 month
MAIN DISHES
Stews; meat, poultry
and fish casserole ...... . 2to3months
TV dinners ................. 3 to 6 months
Food Storage Time
DAIRY PRODUCTS
Butter ...................... 6 to 9 months
Margarine ..................... 12 months
Cheese:
Camembert, Mozzarella,
farmer’s .................... 3 months
Creamed cottage ...... DO NOT FREEZE
Cheddar, Edam, Gouda,
Swiss, brick, etc. ........ 6 to 8 weeks
Freezing can change texture of
cheese.
Ice cream, ice milk, sherbet ..... 2 months
EGGS
Whole (mixed) ................. 12 months
Whites ......................... 12 months
Yolks.. ......................... 12months
(Add sugar or salt to yolks or-whole mixed eggs)
BAKED GOODS
Yeast breads and rolls .......... 3 months
Baked Brown ‘N Serve rolls ...... 3 months
Unbaked breads ................ 1 month
Quick breads .............. 2 to 3 months
Cakes, unfrosted ........... 2 to 4 months
Cakes, frosted ............ 8 to 12 months
Fruit cakes .................... 12 months
Cookie dough .................. 3 months
Baked cookies ............ 8 to 12 months
Baked pies ................. 1 to 2 months
Pie dough only ............. 4 to 6 months
*Based on U.S.D.A. and Michigan Cooperative Extension Service suggested storage times.
If electricity goes off
Call the power company. Ask how long power
will be off
1. If service IS to be interrupted 24 hours or less,
keep both doors closed. This will help frozen
foods to stay frozen.
2. If service is to be interrupted longer than 24
hours:
(a) Remove all frozen food and store in a
frozen food locker. Or...
(b) Place 2 Ibs (0.9 kg] of dry ice in freezer for
every cu. ft of freezer space. This will keep
frozen foods for 2 to 4 days. Wear gloves to
protect your hands from dry ice burns.
[c) If neither food locker storage nor dry ice is
available, use or can perishable food at
once.
3. A full freezer will stay cold longer than a
partly filled one. A freezer full of meat will stay
cold
longer
than a freezer full of baked
goods. If food contains ice crystals, it may
be safely refrozen, although the quality and
flavor may be affected. Use refrozen foods
quickly. If the condition of the food is poor or
if YOU feel it is unsafe, dispose of it.
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