unfrozen, i've found 2 days is good... by day three or four, it sometimes seems to take on the beginnings of an unpleasant odor and slimy coating. inspect, and maybe cut off any questionable areas, and store unsealed in the fridge for immediate / quick consumption.
i "dry off ", and repackage anything going in the freezer asap. personally, i store meats in plastic during freezing, but occasionally find on thawing, the signs of freezer burn... (many forum members store/freeze in glass). thaw in the fridge, or open air, unsealed. a "drying" type atmosphere is definitely going to be your friend. i keep thawed meats between folded sheets of paper towel, and change out the "dressings" daily, to remove contact with the soiled and moist towels. i've experienced no issues with keeping meats in this manner. i portion my general meat cuts into approx 1/2lb parts before freezing, to consume approx 1/4lb at each serving. 4-5 days is the max i usually have thawed chunks of meat kicking around in the fridge, if i don't eat it daily...
