How long can you keep a pie in the freezer after its expiration date?

Answer 1

Expiration dates are only found on processed or packaged foods. You will not find expiration dates on fresh unpackaged foods like apples, lettuces or bulk nuts. The expiration date on processed and frozen foods is the date that it must legally be sold before. The date allows "reasonable time" for the consumer to use the product before it goes bad. If you went into the store and purchased a frozen pie that had a "best if used before date" of tomorrow, it will still be lovely if you took it home and baked it tomorrow or even next week. But what if I want to buy it and then put it in my freezer it to use say next month or three months from now? Would it still be ok?.

The key is the phrase "best used before". Yes, it would taste BEST if used before that date - but that does not mean it will taste terrible the next day. In fact it will taste just fine! It doesn't suddenly turn poisonous and begin to taste foul the next morning after the "expiration date". What does happen to frozen foods is the product will s-l-o-w-l-y begin to lose quality after that date, but will still be in fine edible condition for quite a while depending on the food. Delicate foods like cream pies and ice cream will not last as long as apple pies. Frozen fruit and vegetables will not last as long as frozen fresh or cooked meat - which can be kept frozen and then used as much as 6 months or more after the "best if used before date" which appears on the package - PROVIDING it has been handled properly. Proper handling is VERY important!!

What is proper handling? It means keeping the food in the condition in which it was purchased - Frozen foods remain frozen (not thawed and then refrozen) and refrigerated foods must be kept cold and then frozen as soon as possible after bring them home if you want to extend their life. If you bring home a refigerated packaged food - like lunchmeat or motzerella cheese and KNOW you don't intend to use it this week or even next, put it in the freezer right away. The colder something is, the slower it ages. Never allow food to sit at room temperature for hours before you freeze it. The warmer you allow perishable foods to become, the faster they will go bad!. In summer especially, an insulated bag to keep cold foods cold between the store and home is a necessity to keep foods from spoiling.

In a old pamphlet published by the American Egg Board (original Copywrite 1980, revised 6/89) it says "If left to sit out eggs will age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the refrigerator." This information is now outdated due to Salmonella. The American Egg Board's website now says "The general rule is that if food items are at room temperature for more than 2 hours, the safest thing to do is to discard the product. If you leave eggs anywhere that is not refrigerated, the best thing to do is throw those eggs away and buy a new carton." So you see, perishable food left at room temperature perishes!

Frozen foods by definition are perishable. We all know that ice cream that has melted and been refrozen is nothing like the original product. It MUST be kept frozen. Even in the freezer proper handling is essential. You must keep air from reaching the foods in your freezer. Use storage containers that seal tightly to prevent freezer burn which happens when foods "dry out" from exposure to air in your self-defrosting freezer. Always wrap meats tightly. If you don't use butcher paper, consider wrapping it in plastic wrap first followed by an outside wrapping of tinfoil. Make sure that you fold the edges closed over themselves so that the package is as airtight as possible.

Sooo, if you have kept that prepackaged frozen apple pie frozen..... (From the store to your house, in a freezer that is in good working order and keeps food FROZEN, haven't had a lengthy power outage where everything in your freezer thawed, etc) ... then that apple pie will probably be fine for several months after the "best if used by date" on the package. But always remember this - "when in doubt - throw it out!!" People really do die of food poisoning from eating food that has gone bad. If food hasn't been handled properly - don't keep it. Even if it has been handled properly, but the food doesn't look or smell right before or after you prepare it- it isn't worth the risk of making yourself really sick - or causing your own death - just because you didn't want to waste the $5 you spent on that pie - or the $50 you spent on that great cut of meat. As the saying goes, that is "penny wise and pound foolish"!!!

Answer 2

I don't. In fact, I don't keep frozen Pizza at all.

Answer 3

Yes it does eventually you should find the expiration on either end of the can, I think it's good for at least a year :)