What are the freezer limits

[coleslaw]

on raw meats, fish, veggies and prepared dinners? I have a sneaky suspicion (ugh! sp?) that I need to completely clear out my freezer and start over. We have been really bad about over-buying and under-using. Thanks!

[jeniferm]

I've never enforced a limit on my own things. You could do some more reading, but I don't think things in the freezer will "spoil" in the sense that they become unhealthy. They may get dehydrated and freezer burned, but that affects the taste and won't make you sick.

If it were my food I'd start cooking some of it and see if it tastes really bad. I'd only throw away the bad stuff and would continue cooking the good stuff.

Even then, I'm sure that most foods keep pretty fresh in the freezer up to 6 months, and meats should be OK for at least a year. Foods will last longer in a freezer that does not have automatic defrost as well, so if you have one of those you're in better shape! The automatic defrost lowers the humidity in the freezer and dries food out over long periods of time.

[peaceful herbivore]

Yes, I have read that on several sites as well, what the pp said. Frozen food, if kept frozen, will never *go bad* in the sense that, you could theoretically still eat it and not get sick or die, the question is, when is the point where you won't want to eat it--that is where the guidelines usually come in for best taste.

I usually wrap my stuff really good, then double freezer bag it and label it and it tastes fine! I haven't ever let anything really go over about 3 months though so I can't attest to the 6 months or year thing...

good luck!

[etoilech]

http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00027.asp

Here are some rules about keeping freezer food fresh.