How to Store Food: Meats
In part one of our food storage series, we talked about properly storing bread and cheese. For part two, we will go over how to store your meats both in the fridge and the freezer. By following these guidelines, you will reduce food spoilage and keep your meat as fresh as possible.
Beef
Fridge
Store beef in its original packaging either in your meat drawer or the bottom shelf of the fridge. Ground meat stays fresh up to two days in the fridge, while steaks and roasts store up to three days.
Freezer
When freezing beef, place it in a sealable bag with no air. Ground meat can freeze up to 4 months. Steaks and roasts will keep in the freezer up to 6 months.
Poultry
Fridge
Store chicken and turkey in its original packaging on the bottom of your fridge. Make sure that nothing is dripping from the bottom of the packaging – if so, place paper towel underneath to catch the leakage. All poultry keeps up to two days in the fridge.
Freezer
The best way to freeze poultry is in a sealed bag with no air. Ground chicken and turkey will keep up to 4 months in the freezer, while whole and pieces of poultry can last up to 6 months.
Pork
Fridge
Pork also gets placed on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Chops, roasts, and ribs will last up to three days. Ground meat and sausage keeps up to two days. Bacon should be stored in a sealed bag with no air up to two weeks unopened and one week opened.
Freezer
Store pork in a sealed bag with no air in the freezer. Chops, roasts, and ribs can freeze up to 6 months. Keep ground meat up to 4 months and sausage 2 months. Bacon will last only 1 month in the freezer.
Fish
Fridge
Store fish in the packaging it came in for one day. Place in the coldest part of the fridge.
Freezer
Freeze fish from 4-6 months in a sealed bag. Do not freeze live shellfish.
Cold cuts
There are two different types of cold cuts: deli counter and pre-packaged. Store deli counter cold cuts in the fridge, in a sealed bag for up to 2 weeks unopened and 1 week opened. Pre-packaged cold cuts will keep up to two weeks unopened and 5 days opened, in the original packaging it came in.
Freezing Individually
For optimal freezing or if you want to portion out the meat, wrap pieces individually in plastic before placing them in the sealed bag. This will help prevent freezer burn and extend the freezer-life of your meat.