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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To use Defrosted chicken that has been frozen for over a month?

33 replies

Spinaroo · 28/10/2012 19:00

I usually buy fresh meat and freeze it for use over the next few weeks This particular batch has slipped through the net and has an early September date but has obviously been frozen since I bought it. I think I read that fat in the meat can still go off? Or is that just mince?

OP posts:
chipsandpeas · 28/10/2012 19:01

i would use it, in fact i've probably used chicken thats been frozen for longer and never had any issues

kim147 · 28/10/2012 19:01

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Choufleur · 28/10/2012 19:02

Meat lasts ages in the freezer - 6 weeks is fine

VivaLeBeaver · 28/10/2012 19:02

I freeze chicken for years and eat it.

hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman · 28/10/2012 19:02

I'd use it without a second thought. How long do you think the frozen chicken you can buy have been frozen for before they hit the shops? They then sit in the freezers waiting to be bought and will probably sit in freezers for a bit longer.

Spinaroo · 28/10/2012 19:04

Thanks all Smile.

OP posts:
Pontouf · 28/10/2012 19:04

I'd use it. As long as it smells ok when you cook it'll be fine - you can really tell if chicken's gone bad! But then I don't hold much stock in sell by dates.....

freddiefrog · 28/10/2012 19:06

I'd use it.

I was excited to find a long lost chicken at the bottom of my freezer this morning (it's like a free dinner Smile ). I'm pretty sure it had been in there much longer than a month!

RubyCreakingGates · 28/10/2012 19:09

(They've been there since last Christmas)

squeakytoy · 28/10/2012 19:10

it will be fine, so long as it was fine when it was frozen..

Floggingmolly · 28/10/2012 19:13

Does frozen meat only keep for a month????

expatinscotland · 28/10/2012 19:15

It's fine. I only do a big shop every six weeks and put a lot in the chest freezer.

Lonecatwithkitten · 28/10/2012 19:19

Earlier this week I ate a portion of casserole I frozen in sept' 11 still alive no adverse effects.

SilentMammoth · 28/10/2012 19:23

Huh? I wouldn't think twice about this, isn't that why you freeze them?

Seriously, some meat in my freezer is many months old. Is this bad?

Yika · 28/10/2012 19:29

As I understand it the only issue with keeping frozen meat for a long time is that taste and texture degenerate over time. But there's no safety issue. You can keep frozen food basically forever. However I'm not an expert; I just seem to recall this general advice from an article I read recently so you should double check the science. Anyway I keep frozen everything for much longer than a month and then feed it to my toddler with no ill effects.

kim147 · 28/10/2012 19:31

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kim147 · 28/10/2012 19:32

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WishICouldBeLikeDavidWicks · 28/10/2012 19:41

On Friday we had a turkey dinner. The turkey's been in the freezer since December 2011. Today we had fajitas with the leftovers. Tomorrow we'll have curry. Nobodys had the sh*ts yet...

marriedinwhite · 28/10/2012 19:58

Defrost it thoroughly and cook it thoroughly. No problem.

I often buy a turkey for less than a fiver late on Xmas eve and bung it in the freezer for Easter. Never been brave enough to take a chance Sad.

Spinaroo · 28/10/2012 20:05

Thank you all again. That was a helpful link, kim147. I wonder where I that about a month? Grin at Ruby. Marriedinwhite, do you mean you have done this often but yet never actually cooked and eaten it?

OP posts:
nannyl · 28/10/2012 20:06

i too wouldnt think twice unless it was over a year old!

MrsMiniversCharlady · 28/10/2012 20:08

DH recently made a chilli out of some leftover roast beef that had been in the freezer literally for years. I was very sniffy about it, but had to eat my words along with the GORGEOUS chilli Grin Was seriously the nicest I've ever had.

Secondsop · 28/10/2012 20:16

What kim147 said. Safety-wise there should be no issue whatsoever, but quality can deteriorate with time. But a couple of months is well within even the most conservative estimates of how long meat should be frozen for without loss of quality.

BlackholesAndRevelations · 28/10/2012 23:47

marriedinwhite what do you mean? You often buy a turkey, freeze it, are not brave enough to eat it, so bin it? Really?

Fiendishlie · 28/10/2012 23:59

Another vote for years here. I seriously didn't realise someone would think a month was too long.