Hello Fresh has changed the way people eat, allowing you to get fresh, convenient meal ingredients and recipes delivered to your door each week. If you’re wondering how long Hello Fresh meals last, this is your complete guide to storing, freezing, thawing, and refrigerating Hello Fresh meals.
Whether you want to find out your Hello Fresh meat expiry or how long you can refrigerate Hello Fresh dinners, you’ll find all the answers on Hello Fresh meals expiry here. The exact amount of time your Hello Fresh meals last depends on a variety of factors, which we will go over here.
Table Of Contents:
What Is Hello Fresh?
Before we dive into details, you may be wondering what Hello Fresh is. Well, Hello Fresh is a convenient, fresh, and eco-friendly meal delivery service that caters to a wide range of diets and food preferences. With Hello Fresh, you sign up for a meal service plan and never have to worry about what’s for dinner again.
The Hello Fresh service includes all the ingredients you need to make tasty, healthy meals, with pre-measured ingredients so there are no wasteful leftovers. Hello Fresh meals come in low-calorie, vegetarian, pescetarian, quick and easy, family-friendly, and meat and veggies options.
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How Long Hello Fresh Meals Last?
If you’re not sure how long Hello Fresh meals last, some basic guidelines will help. When you get your Hello Fresh meals delivered, they can be kept in the box for up to 24 hours. The Hello Fresh boxes include ice packs and insulation that can keep food cold and protected for up to 24 hours.
The Hello Fresh app also allows you to track your meal delivery so you can see at exactly what time your meals arrive, even if you’re not home. This allows you to calculate exactly 24 hours from delivery time to know how long your Hello Fresh meals last in the box.
The next step to figuring out how long Hello Fresh meals last is to look at the ingredients. If your meals are vegan or vegetarian, they will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
If your meals include meat, they will last 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator, and seafood will last up to 2 days, according to Hello Fresh.
These are some general guidelines for refrigerated meals but freezing and thawing, as well as specific ingredients like meat and dairy, can also have an impact on how long your Hello Fresh meals last. It helps to break down the Hello Fresh meals expiry further based on individual ingredients.
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Hello Fresh Ingredients Expiry
If you’re not sure how long Hello Fresh meals last, it’s important to look at the specific ingredients of the meals. Hello Fresh ingredients come in many forms – from fresh fruit and veggies to meat, seafood, chicken, dairy products, and cheese.
The vegetarian meals – which have no dairy or eggs – in general, will last the longest, up to a week in the fridge. If you have vegetarian meals with cheese or eggs, the meals should last up to a week as well, but monitor the cheese to make sure it doesn’t start to turn color or harden, which are signs it’s spoiling.
Shredded cheese does not keep as long as chunks of cheese in general, so this is something to be mindful of as well with your Hello Fresh meals expiry.
The Hello Fresh meat expiry is shorter than the vegetarian ingredients, so if you have meat in your meal and will not be cooking it within 3 days, then it is best to freeze your Hello Fresh meat.
In general, most Hello Fresh ingredients are ideally kept in the refrigerator and eaten within 3 to 5 days. If you take longer to cook your meals, especially if you have raw meat, poultry or seafood, it is best to freeze them. On the day you will be cooking, you can thaw your protein in the fridge for 2 to 4 hours and then cook your meal.
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Hello Fresh Meat Expiry
Hello Fresh meat has different requirements than most ingredients, as it does not last quite as long in some cases. Hello Fresh recommends keeping all protein – including meat – frozen until a few hours before cooking. Once you thaw Hello Fresh meat, you’ll need to use the meat within 5 days.
You can prolong the Hello Fresh meat expiry by freezing the meat. According to the USDA, freezing preserves food indefinitely but it may alter texture and taste over a long period of time. Here are the recommendations for how long you can freeze Hello Fresh meat:
● Uncooked roasts, steak or chops, 4 to 12 months
● Uncooked ground meat, 3 to 4 months
● Cooked meat, 2 to 3 months
● Uncooked poultry, 12 months for whole, 9 months for parts, and 3 to 4 months for giblets
● Cooked poultry, 4 months
● Ham, hot dogs, and lunch meats, 1 to 2 months
● Gravy from meat or poultry, 2 months
To freeze Hello Fresh meat, put it in airtight containers or freezer bags and make sure it’s well sealed so it will not leak on any other foods in your freezer. For raw Hello Fresh meat, it is especially important to use leak-proof containers.
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Hello Fresh Seafood Expiry
Seafood has a shorter shelf life than meat. Hello Fresh recommends freezing seafood until a few hours before cooking. Once you thaw your seafood, you will need to cook it within 2 days.
If you choose to freeze your Hello Fresh seafood when it’s raw, it will keep its taste and texture for 2 to 3 months in the freezer. Once you thaw your frozen seafood, cook it immediately or keep it in the fridge for up to one day before cooking.
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Thawing Hello Fresh Meat and Seafood
You can increase how long Hello Fresh meals last by freezing many of the ingredients. On the day you are cooking, give yourself 2 to 4 hours to thaw the frozen ingredients. For frozen meat and seafood, place them in the fridge in a leak-proof container and allow them to thaw for 2 to 4 hours.
If you are pressed for time, you can submerge your Hello Fresh meat or seafood in cold water, protected by an airtight container or sealed waterproof freezer bag. Do not use hot water as this will expose the outer parts of the meat to too much heat and bacteria while the center is still thawing. Change the cold water every 30 minutes. This method of thawing will take an hour or less for a small package of meat, poultry, or seafood and 2 to 3 hours for a 3- to 4-pound package of food.
The third way to thaw Hello Fresh meat, poultry, or seafood is the microwave. This is the last resort if you are in a hurry. If you thaw your food in the microwave, you will need to cook it immediately after thawing.
If you thaw food with the water method or the microwave and need to refreeze it, you will have to cook it before refreezing.
If you have no time to thaw your meat, seafood, or poultry, you can cook them right away. It will take longer to cook and may not taste as good as more evenly cooked food, but you can do this, according to the USDA. Just be sure that the center is thoroughly cooked when cooking frozen meat, seafood or poultry.
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Storing Hello Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
Most fruits and vegetables will last the longest when you refrigerate them. To store your Hello Fresh fruits and vegetables, place them in airtight containers in your refrigerator. Specifically, use the crisper drawer in your fridge as this has a special humidity level that will preserve your produce the best. If you don’t have airtight containers for your fruits and veggies, try keeping them in the original packaging or in resealable bags.
To preserve your Hello Fresh meal expiry for leafy greens, place paper towel sheets in a sealed container or storage bag with your greens to help absorb excess moisture. Here are more tips to prolong specific Hello Fresh ingredients expiry:
● Garlic – Unlike most Hello Fresh ingredients, you should keep garlic at room temperature in a dry, dark place with plenty of air and little to no moisture.
● Root vegetables – As with garlic, it is best to keep potatoes and root vegetables at room temperature in a dark, dry place.
● Mushrooms – Store your Hello Fresh mushrooms in the original container or a paper bag.
● Carrots – Put carrots in a sealed bag or container with water covering the carrots completely to lock in moisture.
● Asparagus – Place your asparagus stalks standing upright in a jar or glass with an inch of water. Put plastic wrap around the top of the asparagus.
You can also prolong Hello Fresh ingredients expiry by freezing some fruits and vegetables. Berries, bananas, beans, sweet corn, peas, peppers, leeks, vegetable stock, and even herbs can all be frozen to store for cooking at a later date. Use airtight containers for freezing your produce as much as possible. You can also use freezer bags – just make sure you squeeze extra air out of the bag before sealing.
If you freeze your Hello Fresh produce, fruit and vegetables can last 3 to 12 months in the freezer.
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Hello Fresh Grains and Dried Foods
Hello Fresh dried and canned foods do not need to be refrigerated unless they are leftovers. If you open a can of food from Hello Fresh, you can then keep it in your refrigerator until you’re ready to cook it. For dried grains like pasta from Hello Fresh, keep in a dry, room-temperature place until you’re ready to cook.
Leftover pasta and leftover canned ingredients can be refrigerated for up to 5 days after cooking.
For bread from Hello Fresh, you can refrigerate and eat your bread within 5 days of delivery. If you will not eat or cook the bread within that time, you can freeze your Hello Fresh bread for 4 to 6 months.
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Refreezing Hello Fresh Meals
Once you thaw your Hello Fresh food, ideally you should cook it right away. Sometimes life gets hectic though and you may need to refreeze your Hello Fresh meals. It is perfectly ok to refreeze your food to prolong the Hello Fresh meals expiry as long as you take certain precautions.
If you have thawed frozen Hello Fresh ingredients that are meat or seafood, then you will need to cook them before refreezing. You can refreeze your ingredients by placing the food in airtight freezer containers or freezer bags. There may be some loss in the quality of the food due to the moisture that is lost with thawing.
For health and safety, do not refreeze foods that are left outside of the refrigerator for longer than 2 hours or 1 hour in hot temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Hello Fresh Recipes
Are you looking for some tasty Hello Fresh recipes to try at home? Check out:
- Hello Fresh Pork and Veggie Bibimbap Recipe – They have taken a Korean classic and made it into an easy-to-follow recipe for everyone to try.
- Hello Fresh Italian Chicken over Lemony Spaghetti – The first recipe you simply have to try is the Italian Chicken over Lemony Spaghetti. It’s a summery take on chicken alfredo, brightened up by a burst of lemon flavor.
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Summary:
Hello Fresh meals bring tasty, easy-to-prepare recipes and ingredients to your doorstep. If you’re wondering how long Hello Fresh meals last, the answer varies depending on the ingredients and where you store them. Following the storage guidelines for meats, produce and other foods will help prolong your Hello Fresh meals expiry. Freezing and refrigeration can make your ingredients last longer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long do Hello Fresh meals last in the fridge?
Hello Fresh meals last for up to 3 to 5 days after delivery if you keep them refrigerated. If you do not eat your meals within that time frame, you can freeze them. If you have raw meat or seafood that you will not eat within 2 to 3 days, it is best to freeze your protein and keep it frozen until a few hours before cooking.
In general, vegetarian meals can last longer in the fridge than meat-based meals. If you have a vegetarian Hello Fresh meal, it can last 5 days or more in the fridge.
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Can you freeze Hello Fresh meat?
Yes, it is recommended to freeze Hello Fresh meat if you will not be eating it within 3 days of delivery. You can freeze raw Hello Fresh meat and seafood as well as cooked meat like hot dogs and lunch meats.
The Hello Fresh meat expiry depends on the exact meat you have. In general, raw meat can be stored in the freezer for 3 months or more. For cooked meat, it will keep in the freezer for 2 to 3 months with no problem. If you have gravy from Hello Fresh, you can freeze it for up to 2 months.
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How long can a Hello Fresh box sit outside?
Hello Fresh meals last up to 24 hours in the original delivery box. This is because Hello Fresh packs your meals with an ice pack and insulation that traps the cold inside the box for up to 24 hours.
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How long does Hello Fresh pork last?
Pork lasts 3 to 4 days in the fridge if it’s cooked, according to the USDA. Keep your Hello Fresh pork refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler. Refrigerating the pork will slow bacteria growth but does not stop bacteria growth. If you have cooked pork leftovers, they will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
For raw pork, you can keep it refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. Raw ground pork can be refrigerated for 1 to 2 days. To prolong your Hello Fresh meat expiry, it’s best to freeze your meat if you will not be eating it within 2 to 3 days. Frozen pork and other meat can last for months in the freezer without any issues.
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How long does Hello Fresh chicken last?
Hello Fresh chicken lasts 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. According to the USDA, you can keep the raw chicken in the fridge for 1 to 2 days (with the same guideline for turkey and other poultry). If you will not be eating your chicken within a few days, it is best to freeze the chicken.
When you freeze your chicken, make sure it’s in a leak-proof container (especially if it’s raw) so it will not contaminate other food in your freezer. If you freeze your chicken, it will last 3 to 4 months for giblets and up to 12 months for a whole chicken.
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Does Hello Fresh go in the fridge or freezer?
If you will be eating your meals within the next day or two, store your Hello Fresh meals in the fridge. For raw meats and most ingredients that you do not plan to cook in the next 2 to 3 days, you can freeze them. (The exception is canned food and dried foods like pasta, which you do not need to freeze or refrigerate.)
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Can you freeze Hello Fresh meals before cooking?
Yes, you can freeze most Hello Fresh meal ingredients before cooking, including meat, poultry, and seafood. Some ingredients – such as garlic, potatoes, pasta, and dried or canned foods – do not need to be frozen.
You can freeze bananas, berries, meat, seafood, broth, beans, sweet corn, peas, peppers, and leeks. Two to three hours before your meal, thaw your ingredients in the fridge to prepare for cooking.
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How to defrost frozen Hello Fresh meals?
It is best to thaw Hello Fresh ingredients, especially meat, seafood, and poultry, for 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator. If you are in a hurry, you can place your frozen items like meat in a resealable plastic bag and thaw them in a bowl of cold water. Change the cold water every 30 minutes.
As a last resort, you can use the microwave to thaw Hello Fresh meals, but you will need to cook meats, seafood, and poultry immediately after microwaving.
Shanny
Shanny not only has an exceptional understanding of the foodie mindset and how nutrition works, she has also achieved her Master’s Degree in Education. Outside of her academic achievements, she loves writing food blogs. It's so much more than a list of meals though! Shanny creates helpful cookware guides and delicious recipes that are easy to follow. She does all of this as a food blog writer because she loves it. That's why she spends lots of time testing out different recipes in her own home. She truly is a one-of-a-kind foodie, from her home to yours - with a story to tell, new recipes to indulge in and new tips to tantalize those tastebuds.
