Freezer Burnt Food

Discussion in Food & Drink started by Rosyrain • Feb 3, 2016.

  1. Rosyrain

    RosyrainActive Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2015
    Threads:
    167
    Messages:
    903
    Likes Received:
    252
    Do you eat meat that has been in your freezer for a while even if it is freezer burnt? I threw a package of fish away the other day that had been sitting in the freezer for about 9 months, but then wondered to myself if I had to waste the food or if I could have still cooked it up and ate it. What are your thoughts on this?
     
  2. Zyni

    ZyniWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2014
    Threads:
    436
    Messages:
    1,722
    Likes Received:
    558
    If it were actually freezer burned, it certainly wouldn't taste very good. It does seem that you'd had it quite a long time, so you probably did the right thing. If it just has a few ice crystals and hasn't been in there too long, I try rinsing it off and see. If it doesn't smell right when cooking, I toss it.

    It helps to try to "rotate the stock" in your freezer, like they do in stores, so the oldest stuff is always on top. That way, nothing gets pushed to the back/bottom of the freezer and forgotten.
     
  3. Krissttina Isobe

    Krissttina IsobeWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2015
    Threads:
    18
    Messages:
    1,787
    Likes Received:
    505
    There is a time limit you can keep freezer food that was a topic on Dr. Oz one day long ago and it was 3 months for most everything.

    Log In

    here for foods in the freezer. I throw out my old food from the freezer too. I got into the habit of labeling and dating frozen foods too.Instead of looking at it and wondering, like before I just look at my label, so much easier.
     
  4. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2012
    Threads:
    52
    Messages:
    3,093
    Likes Received:
    240
    I read on Chowhound that if you have freezer burned meat, you can still marinate the heck out of it ,and brown it very well and it'll be edible. The ice crystals that cause freezer burn won't kill you, they just make the meat lose taste and texture. I once had some freezer burned buffalo wings that I refried and doused with fresh hot sauce and they tasted fine.
     
  5. purplepen88

    purplepen88Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2015
    Threads:
    16
    Messages:
    765
    Likes Received:
    199
    I usually give away food that is freezer burnt. Our local homeless shelter will take frozen foods even food with freezer burn so at least I know the food isn't wasted. I try to regularly turn my freezer but when I do a clean out every 8 months or so I find some items that I'm not going to eat but I don't want to throw out. I just read on one website that food that has freezer burn is safe to eat it but you may find texture and taste are not to your liking.
     
  6. solana

    solanaNew Member

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2016
    Threads:
    0
    Messages:
    2
    Likes Received:
    0
    I'd say better save than sorry. I can't imagine that freezer burnt food would still be nutritious. But, obviously, if money or food is tight, I would probably eat it. Even though, I wouldn't feel good about it. I would be nervous for a few hours after eating the fish, wondering whether I gave myself a dose of food poisoning.
     
  7. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 27, 2015
    Threads:
    151
    Messages:
    1,855
    Likes Received:
    459
    There was a time when we go to the market once a week so our freezer was full of raw meat andf fish. One time we thawed a pack of beef but later on changed our mind so we put it back to the freezer. After some days, we thawed it again for cooking. We noticed the different taste. It is stale, meaning not fresh anymore. Now we make it a point to go to the market when we need meat or fish to be a assured of freshness. We never store meat in the freezer anymore, much more fish because it is easier to spoil even when frozen.
     
  8. Rosyrain

    RosyrainActive Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2015
    Threads:
    167
    Messages:
    903
    Likes Received:
    252
    That is great information and I will keep that in mind for the future. I was so sad to have to throw meat away, especially since it is so expensive these days.
     
  9. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2012
    Threads:
    154
    Messages:
    2,561
    Likes Received:
    233
    In most cases, when I cooked up some freezer burned meats, they were generally OK. This would happen to me once in a while if I bought a big pack of ground beef - which I would portion into patties in individual bags as soon as I got home. Once in a while there would be a few of them that would get some freezer burn, but in most cases when I cooked them up, they tasted just fine. This would also happen occasionally with chicken tenders and chicken breasts that I had in the back of the freezer, or even some pork chops. As long as you cook them well, and dress them up with some sauces/marinades, or perhaps even stew them slowly, they should be just fine.

    Look at it this way, if you can squeeze a few more days of meals out of that stuff by using it up, think of all the money you just saved vs. tossing them out and heading back out to the store to buy more.
     
  10. Diane Lane

    Diane LaneWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2015
    Threads:
    262
    Messages:
    1,983
    Likes Received:
    725
    @Corzhens@Corzhens I've heard that once it's thawed, it can't be refrozen. If I do what you did and change my mind, I will cook it anyway, then re-freeze, since the constitution has been changed by cooking, so refreezing then is o.k.

    I'm using up the older food in my freezer now. For some reason, I had a lot in there that I wasn't using, because I was cooking more fresh and canned food, but now I'm buying more frozen veggies, and am cycling them from front to back of the freezer. I am trying to cook at least one package per week, to keep the supply fairly 'fresh'.