How to Store Meat in the Fridge and Freezer

Introduction

Meat is one of the most expensive items in the trolley, and one of the least forgiving if it is stored badly. Stored well, it stays safe, tasty and good value; stored poorly, it spoils quickly or picks up freezer burn. This guide covers how to store raw and cooked meat in the fridge and freezer, how long it keeps, how to thaw it safely, and where vacuum sealing genuinely helps.

A quick note on safety: the times below are a general guide for Australian households. Always follow the use-by date on the packaging, keep your fridge cold, and when in doubt, throw it out. For official advice, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and your state health department food-safety pages are the best references.

Keep it cold: the golden rule

Bacteria multiply fastest between 5°C and 60°C — the temperature danger zone. The single most important thing you can do is keep meat out of that range.

• Keep your fridge at 5°C or colder and your freezer at around −18°C.
• Get meat home and into the fridge or freezer quickly, especially on a warm day. A cooler bag for the trip home helps.
• Do not leave raw or cooked meat sitting on the benchtop. As a rule, do not leave it in the danger zone for more than two hours, or one hour on a hot day.

How long does raw meat last in the fridge?

Use-by dates come first, but as a general guide for raw meat kept at 5°C or below:

• Mince and sausages: 1 to 3 days
• Chicken and other poultry: 1 to 2 days
• Steaks, chops and diced meat: 3 to 5 days
• Roasts and whole cuts: 3 to 5 days
• Bacon and cured meats once opened: follow the pack, usually about a week

Smaller cuts and mince spoil faster because more surface is exposed to air. If you will not use meat within these windows, freeze it while it is still fresh rather than at the last minute.

Storing meat in the fridge

• Keep raw meat on the bottom shelf, in a container or on a plate, so juices cannot drip onto other food.
• Leave it in its packaging until you use it, or transfer it to a clean airtight container or sealed bag.
• Keep raw and cooked meat well apart to avoid cross-contamination.
• Store cooked meat in a sealed container and eat it within about 2 to 3 days.

Freezing meat the right way

The freezer is your friend for value and waste, but only if meat is well wrapped. Air is the enemy: it causes freezer burn, the dry, greyish patches that ruin texture and flavour.

• Portion meat into meal-sized amounts before freezing so you only thaw what you need.
• Remove as much air as possible. Vacuum sealing in a valve bag is ideal; otherwise wrap tightly and press the air out.
• Label every bag with the cut and the date so nothing gets lost at the back of the freezer.
• Freeze meat while it is fresh, not on its use-by date.

How long does meat last in the freezer?

Frozen meat stays safe almost indefinitely at −18°C, but quality drops over time. As a general guide for best quality:

• Mince and sausages: about 2 to 3 months
• Chicken pieces about 6 months; whole chicken up to about 12 months
• Steaks, chops and roasts: about 4 to 12 months
• Bacon and cured meats: about 1 month, as the salt and fat affect freezing

Vacuum-sealed meat generally holds its quality at the longer end of these ranges, because there is less air to cause freezer burn.

Thawing meat safely

How you thaw matters as much as how you freeze.

• The safest way is to thaw meat in the fridge, on the bottom shelf, in a container to catch drips. Allow time — a large cut can take a day or more.
• For a faster option, thaw in the microwave on the defrost setting and cook straight away.
• You can also thaw sealed meat in a bowl of cold water, changing the water regularly, then cook promptly.
• Do not thaw meat on the benchtop, as the outside warms into the danger zone while the inside is still frozen.

Can you refreeze meat?

As a general rule, if meat has been thawed in the fridge and is still cold, it can be refrozen, though the quality may drop. Meat that has been thawed at room temperature, or left in the danger zone, should not be refrozen. Cooking thawed meat and then freezing the cooked dish is another safe option.

Where SealSaver helps

Most of the freezer advice above comes back to one thing: getting the air out. The cordless SealSaver vacuum sealer portions and seals meat in BPA-free valve bags, which helps cut freezer burn and keep frozen meat in better condition for longer. It also makes it easy to buy meat on special, split it into meal-sized portions and seal each one — a simple way to save money and waste less.