How long will chicken stock keep in the freezer?

[tomgreg2002]

Hello folks. Planning on buying an extra freezer for basic stocks and sauces.
How long will chicken stock last frozen? How about basic tomato sauce?
How about if they are vacuum packed and frozen? Any tips would be truly appreciated. Thanks. -- T

 

[kadesma]

Hello folks. Planning on buying an extra freezer for basic stocks and sauces.
How long will chicken stock last frozen? How about basic tomato sauce?
How about if they are vacuum packed and frozen? Any tips would be truly appreciated. Thanks. -- T

Tom,
you will most likely get a lot of answers here. Each of us has their own ideas on how long to keep frozen things. Me, I only keep stock about 2 months..Same thing with tomatoe sauce. Meat, chicken, fish..no more than 1 month..I just don't care for some of the freezer burn or odd tastes things pick up. Vacuum packed, don't have an opinion as I don't use vacuum packing.

kadesma

 

[jkath]

I use a foodsaver and it really works well! I only keep things for 2 months, just because I'm crazy about keeping my foods up to date. Also, remember to freeze fresh lemon juice!

As for the chicken stock here's a handy tip: freeze it, using ice cube trays. Then, put the cubes in your freezer bag/container. When needing some for a recipe, take out however many cubes you need. Saves time!

 

[tomgreg2002]

Thanks for the info..!.....sounds like 2 months is the ball park limit. I'll keep this in mind.

 

[Andy M.]

I have an upright freezer. I freeze chicken stock in 6-10 cup plastic containers for a year at a time. I keep the freezer at -10F and never had a problem. Mine is NOT a frost-free so freezer burn is much less of a problem. Besides, chicken stock is just frozen flavored water, nothing is going to be harmed.

I also freeze tomato sauces, some plain and some with sausages and meatballs in it. It is also no problem to freeze them for extended periods.

I absolutely do not see extended freezing in a stand alone freezer as a food safety issue. For the items mentioned, deteriorating quality has not been a problem.

You can extend freezer life of all foods by wrapping them properly. Air in the packaging is the main culprit to damage. I wrap meats in two layers of plastic wrap or one layer and a Ziplock freezer bag.

Certainly, a Food Saver system would be the best way to go for long-term freezing. It offers the best protection. Other than that, tight, airless wrapping is your best protection.

 

[tomgreg2002]

Great info..! Thanks a bunch!

 

[scott123]

If your stock gets badly freezer burned, you can rinse off the outer 1/4" with hot water. I usually have pretty good turnover with stocks, but every once in a while I find one buried that's been in the freezer for ages. Rinsing off a layer works wonders. Just make sure you freeze it in a hunk and not in cubes or flat, as the more surface area you have, the greater exposure to air/off flavors.

 

[Gretchen]

I freeze chicken and beef broth/stock for many months. What is to go bad?
And with all due respect, I don't think stock can get freezer burn, which is the process where solid (meat) goes to a gaseous state. Stock may get ice crystals, but they are just that.
I freeze mine in ZipLoc bags so they are pretty stackable.
I have a FoodSaver but see no benefit to vac sealing stock.

 

[scott123]

With all due respect, I'm not sure your definition of freezer burn is correct. From the The Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service

MOISTURE LOSS

Moisture loss, or ice crystals evaporating from the surface area of a product, produces freezer burn — a grainy, brownish spot where the tissues become dry and tough. This surface freeze-dried area is very likely to develop "off" flavors. Packaging in heavy-weight, moisture-proof wrap will prevent freezer burn.

Freezer burn is water migration. Anything with water in it can experience freezer burn.

 

[ChefJune]

I have an upright freezer. I freeze chicken stock in 6-10 cup plastic containers for a year at a time. I keep the freezer at -10F and never had a problem. Mine is NOT a frost-free so freezer burn is much less of a problem. Besides, chicken stock is just frozen flavored water, nothing is going to be harmed.

I also freeze tomato sauces, some plain and some with sausages and meatballs in it. It is also no problem to freeze them for extended periods.

I absolutely do not see extended freezing in a stand alone freezer as a food safety issue. For the items mentioned, deteriorating quality has not been a problem.

You can extend freezer life of all foods by wrapping them properly. Air in the packaging is the main culprit to damage. I wrap meats in two layers of plastic wrap or one layer and a Ziplock freezer bag.

Certainly, a Food Saver system would be the best way to go for long-term freezing. It offers the best protection. Other than that, tight, airless wrapping is your best protection.

Andy, your response sounds so much like the one I was going to write that I don't need to. I also have a stand alone freezer, only mine is a chest. Rarely do I have to throw any stock or sauce away for having kept it too long. Proper wrapping ANY item for freezing is key to retaining quality and flavor, tho... For instance, NEVER freeze meat or fish in the styrofoam tray / plastic wrap package they come from the store in!

 

[carolelaine]

6 months or more

I keep my stock in a stand alone upright freezer, and I've never had trouble with it being there for up to 6 months. I do find that some tomatoe sauces need some moisture from tomatoe juice or stock after they are defrosted.

 

[VegasDramaQueen]

I always make my own stock and here's what I do to freeze it. I put some of the stock in ice cube trays, then freeze solid for about 24 hrs. Take them out and put them in a zip loc bag so you can use 2 or 3 at a time if you only need a few. For soup or gravy, I freeze the rest in various sized containers. (1 cup for gravy, 3 cups for soup etc.) As soon as it's frozen I take the stock out of the container and vacuum seal it with my Food Saver. This gadget is the best thing going and you can keep stock in the freezer for 1 year. Mine never lasts anywhere near that long because we eat it up but it stays fresh for a long time.

 

[tomgreg2002]

Thanks for all the replies folks. The bottom line: I'll be getting an upright stand alone freezer soon. And I'll experiment with the ice cube ideas.
And the sauces too. Peace.

 

[scott123]

I wouldn't recommend ice cubes for prolonged storage. Freezer burn/the absorption of off flavors is proporational to surface area. The greater the surface area, the greater the impairment. Making ice cubes from stocks increases the stock's surface area exponentially.

 

[cjs]

Also, since you are just starting out freezing - keep in mind "FIFO" First In First Out - always put new items in the back or under the older. It will be a great habit to get into. And date everything!!!

 

[Gretchen]

a grainy, brownish spot where the tissues become dry and tough. This surface freeze-dried area is very likely to develop "off" flavors. Packaging in heavy-weight, moisture-proof wrap will prevent freezer burn.

The operative word here is "tissues", not liquid, as in stock. Freezer burn is caused by water from tissues going from a solid (frozen) state to a gaseous state without becoming liquid and hence "burning" (drying/dehydrating) the tissues. The process is called "sublimation". Water/broth can also go from the solid state (ice) to gaseous, but there is nothing left to "burn".


"Let's demystify the oxymoron "freezer burn." In On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee explains that freezer burn is essentially a patch of freeze-dried meat on the surface of otherwise normally moist tissue. That's bad. It happens to food that's been frozen awhile. Solids - tissues full of moisture - are transformed into gases at freezing temperatures, a process called sublimation. Think of sublimation as the subzero equivalent of evaporation.

Avoid freezer burn by packing or wrapping foods tightly. You can freeze meat or poultry in supermarket wrappers if you put non-permeable wrap, such as heavy-duty foil, freezer paper or freezer bags, around it, with the air squeezed out. Remember that stuff in the freezer gets bumped around a lot as you root through it for that half-eaten pint of chocolate ice cream. Containers and wrapping need to be sturdy."

 

[tomgreg2002]

Thanks all for the tips, info. Make some stock today, actually. Will try freezing some.. !

 

[Constance]

I keep mine for 1-2 years. It's well packaged, and the deep freeze isn't opened more than once or twice a week. If it looks raunchy when I thaw it, I throw it out, but you'd be surprised how long some things will last
On the other hand, I found a venison roast from '03 the other day, and threw it in the crockpot, thinking it would be OK cooked that way. There was no freezer burn on the meat, but when I cooked it, it had gotten a strong taste. My husband went ahead and ate a sandwich, gave some to the dog, then threw the rest away. It wasn't spoiled, it just tasted funky. The dog thought it was great.

 

[tomgreg2002]

That's pretty funny.. I once found some ground beef in the back
of the fridge that was kind of green on the edges but used it anyway.
Stupid move and felt sick for a week..! So I'm yet to get my new freezer but am excited about it..! What's the best temperature for freezing? Is coldest necessarily best?