How long will frozen food keep?

I recently made a post showing the 26 meals created, bagged, and frozen for use later with the crockpot. I figured there might be some questions about how long it will keep, how to thaw it, etc....

Spoiled Food
The truth is that it never really "spoils" as long as stays properly frozen (0 degrees). You start to lose quality after a certain amount of time. Raw meat will last longer than cooked meat because you lose moisture during the cooking process.

Packaging
Another thing to remember is the right kind of packaging. You can freeze meat in the container it comes in, but air can get inside and cause freezer burn. Most of the time I take my meat out (since I buy in bulk) and freeze it in smaller portions. I wrap mine in saran wrap, then I use Press N Seal Freezer over that to make sure it is nice and covered. I also like to write the date of when it was put in the freezer so I use my oldest items first.

Thawing
The best way to thaw your food is to get it out the day before and leave it in your refrigerator until you are ready to cook it. You can also put it in the sink with cold water let it thaw there. If you need a quick thaw method then stick it in the microwave on a defrost setting. If you use the microwave be sure and cook it immediately because the microwave starts the cooking process.

Refreezing
I didn't know this until I started the research for this blog (didn't want to give false information!) but you can refreeze food that has been thawed in the refrigerator.  (I thought once it was thawed you couldn't freeze it again... but that only pertains to microwave or sink thawing)

This is for a freezer kept at 0 degrees. (Remember, after this amount of time the food is still safe to eat it just starts to lose quality.)

Item Months
Bacon and Sausage 1 to 2
Casseroles 2 to 3
Egg whites or egg substitutes 12
Frozen Dinners and Entrees 3 to 4
Gravy, meat or poultry 2 to 3
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats 1 to 2
Meat, uncooked roasts 4 to 12
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops 4 to 12
Meat, uncooked ground 3 to 4
Meat, cooked 2 to 3
Poultry, uncooked whole 12
Poultry, uncooked parts 9
Poultry, uncooked giblets 3 to 4
Poultry, cooked 4
Soups and Stews 2 to 3
Wild game, uncooked 8 to 12


This information was found at  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Focus_On_Freezing/

Comment if you have any questions or any of your own ideas for keeping food fresh longer. Thanks!