Those who are more "relaxed" about Best Before Dates - would you eat these?

[HurdyGurdy19]

Clearing out the freezer today and I've come across two packs of pigs in blankets that we got from the butcher at Christmas.

Eight months on - would you eat them, or is that a step too far? I'm usually very relaxed about best before dates - there's nothing on the packaging about eat before or best before etc, but with it being pork, even I'm a bit undecided 😂

Yes, some people are lucky all their lives. Including my dad who defrosted meat on the counter, reused salad dressing, and thought washing frying pans was a waste of good grease.

sorry that was to @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

I’d eat them for sure.

Its frozen, it doesnt go 'off' in that time.

It can probably get freezer burn and in the case of vegetables seem to taste of other things, or bread does this a lot too

From Christmas I still have cream, pate, stuffing, pies, mince pies, you name it. Oh and bread sauce.

Hopefully I won't update the thread from a hospital bed, having contracted salmonella

I know it's a joke but I am still compelled to point out:
SPONTANEOUS creation of germs is not a thing. Either salmonella was already there before the BBF or it was not. Exceeding the BBF does not make salmonella magically exist in the meat when it wasn't there before just because you exceeded the BBF date.

Off hand I can't recall if salmonella is destroyed by freezing but main strategy is to cook meat well. Cooking well KILLs all germs.

Taste is what is affected by BFF with frozen foods.
Not frozen foods are prone to mould if you exceed BFF, yet you can see signs of mould.

Germ theory rocks. Spontaneous generation is magic which doesn't exist. Spoilage bacteria generally won't hurt you they just ruin taste.

I'm vegetarian, so I wouldn't eat them anyway!

but they'll be fine, enjoy them tomorrow !

sometimes the quality deteriorates a bit over time, but cook them and if they're nice eat them, if not let DH eat them all 🤣 (or throw them away) nothing lost!!

Erm yes it can. It’s not 100% it will go off but that is when there is a chance it might make you ill given the temperature for freezers isn’t that low.

Defrost and if they smell OK, eat them.

This isn't true. The texture might be affected but it wouldn't suddenly gain bacteria if frozen unless it was already present.

This

Cooking well KILLs all germs.
Yes but cooking doesn’t destroy the toxins the bacteria excrete that give you food poisoning. Well cooked spoiled meat will still make you sick.

Spoilage bacteria generally won't hurt you they just ruin taste.
See above and below:

https://kitchenjournal.net/can-you-eat-spoiled-meat-if-you-cook-it/
“Can cooking spoiled meat make it safe to eat?
Cooking spoiled meat does not necessarily make it safe to eat. While heat can kill some bacteria, it may not kill all bacteria and their toxins. Toxins produced by bacteria like Clostridium botulinum and Staphylococcus aureus can survive high temperatures and remain present in the meat even after cooking.
Moreover, cooking spoiled meat can even make it more dangerous to eat. The heat can break down the bacterial cells, releasing their toxins into the meat, making it even more toxic. This can lead to more severe food poisoning symptoms, and in extreme cases, can cause life-threatening conditions.”

If it’s off you’ll smell and taste it.

as long as it smells and tastes fine I’d eat it.

Bacteria is always present in processed meat products like sausage.

You can’t always smell when it’s off.

Yeah I'd happily eat them.

Yes of course we bought some from M&S reduced to clear last week from the freezer section which were probably Christmas stock

As it is is present in pretty much everything @LoremIpsumCici but if the levels are not high enough to cause food poisoning when frozen, they won't be enough to cause food poisoning when thawed and cooked.

I’ve never had food poisoning yet so.

Yes
I always save some PiB from Christmas for DS’s birthday in the autumn, and tgey are always fine.

Cook them and try if not feed the fox

Yep. I don’t bother with freezer guides. If it’s frozen it’s fine unless it looks or smells otherwise.

Yep. I don’t bother with freezer guides. If it’s frozen it’s fine unless it looks or smells otherwise.

Have a look at the dates on items in the freezer section. That'll give you an idea of how long things last frozen. I'd look in my own freezer for you all, but I don't have anything bought frozen IYSWIM. I have stuff in there since before Christmas (bought fresh) and it will probably do me this Christmas instead. Often done that. Far too much food waste goes on. It's one thing to have food hygeine and basic safety rules, but who the heck said that a frozen item should be used within three months or you'll die!

As for bacteria being present prior to freezing, well if it was eaten fresh it would STILL have had that bacteria and would have made you ill.

What do you mean by reused salad dressing? How?

P.s. I defrost outside of the fridge regularly, it's fine.

If your freezer is minus 18 all is well. Just cook them and enjoy with a nice glass of something

I did this with stuffing. It was a bit stale (cooked first obviously!) The gutbuckets of the household ate it anyway.