"Rachael, I haven't seen the back of my freezer since I bought it five years ago! There's stuff in there that I have no idea how old it is. It's my mom's fault: she taught me that putting something in the freezer freezes the aging process. Please help me!"

Rach says there's no such thing as 'forever' when it comes to food. From the freezer to the fridge, from the pantry to the spice rack, at what point does food go from "yum-o" to "yuck-o"?

Don't keep frozen meat in the freezer more than a couple of months - When it starts to look a little white, toss. The meat may still be edible, but after a few months of freezer burn it might not taste or look as good. Heavily freezer-burned foods may lose their flavor entirely.

Don't keep leftovers in the freezer for more than a month - kept in Tupperware, you can keep for a couple of weeks to a month tops.

Nuts kept in the freezer will last longer - nuts have a lot of oils in them, so if you store them in the freezer you'll get a good lifespan out of them - the oils never get a chance to age and they stay tasty for a long time.

Put breadcrumbs in the freezer to keep the bugs out - you can keep them in the cupboard if you want, but little things will start to hatch in them, and you don't want that (unless you like a little protein!)

Mold can be cut off prepackaged cheese with a clean knife - But don't let the cheese get too moldy to the point that it becomes a penicillin farm! Once you start to see some mold, cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot (keep the knife out of the mold itself so it will not cross-contaminate other parts of the cheese). After trimming off the mold, re-cover the cheese in fresh wrap. Mold generally cannot penetrate deep into the product.

Throw food out when it is past the expiration date!

Store spices in a cool, dry, dark place.

More helpful suggestions:

Ice cream - you can scrape off the crystals, but it still won't taste as good as when it's fresh. The quality is best if used by 2 months - so eat more ice cream right when you buy it!

Melon - that's something you can't salvage; if it's got any bit of mold (or bugs flying out of it), toss it!

Condiments
- Ketchup - 6 -12 months in the fridge, though some sources list 2 years. Otherwise 1month at room temperature (though I am not sure I've ever heard of anyone keeping ketchup in the pantry)
- Mayo - 2 - 6 months, after opening 2 months
- Relish - 1 year
- Mustard - 8 months
- Jam, jelly, or preserves - 1 year , after opening - 5 months
- Salad dressing - 9 months, after opening - 3 months
- Maple Syrup - 1 year
- Soy sauce - 3 months (and if you look on the bottle, it says you're supposed to keep soy sauce refrigerated!)
- Butter - 1-3 months

Foods in the freezer shelf life:
- Frozen Meat - The quality is best is used by 4-12 months. The more tender the cut of meat, the quality lasts longer.
- Frozen Hamburgers - The quality is best if used by 3-4 months.
- Frozen Fish - The quality is best if used by 2-3 months.
- Frozen Sauce (Marinara) - The quality best if used by 2-3 months.
- Ice Cream / Sorbet - The quality is best if used by 2 months.
- Frozen Loaf of Bread - The quality is best if used by 3 months.

Pantry food shelf life:
- Peanut Butter - 2-3 months once opened
- Canned Vegetables - 2 years
- Pasta - 2 years
- Chocolate - 18 months to 2 years, in a cool place
- Garlic (Bulbs) - 3-4 months