Is this safe?

[Cunnyfunt18]

We've got stuff in our freezer that was frozen well before expiration date but is now out of date... Would it be okay to eat? I'm talking things like burgers bought raw then frozen, raw chicken breasts and Sausages

Yes. That's kind of the point of freezing stuff.

How long have they been frozen for? A month? 6 months? One year?

Isn’t that the point of freezing stuff? After a certain amount of time things are supposed to lose their taste but I eat meat that’s been frozen a year

Sorry I'm new to the whole buy fresh n freeze They've literally only been frozen about a month and we're well within expiration when frozen

Why did you freeze them? Was there just not enough room in the fridge?

I've got stuff in my freezer from 2016 which I will happily eat when the time comes.

@malmi yeah our fridge is only a tiny under counter one

That's the sort of point of freezers. A month is nothing. I thought you were going to say you found some burgers you brought back from France on the ferry and froze them when you last went on a trip there in 1993.

Good to know it's safe that's my weeks dinners sorted then, just another quick question how will I defrost them 😂 on the worktop or in the fridge? Haven't got a microwave so that's not an option

@VladmirsPoutine sorry to disapoint but I was only 5 in 1993 😂

You are supposed to defrost in a fridge. If you leave them on a counter, bacteria will start multiplying quicker and they may be unsafe to eat.

Defrost them in the fridge. Saves electricty on you fride as well as being safer.

Thanks pp can you all tell I'm a total newbie when it comes to this sort of thing

I quite,often bung things in the freezer if they are near dated.

I think in theory you are supposed to defrost things in the fridge, but I tend to defrost food,overnight.

Not a problem at all providing your freezer is at the recommended temperature of - 20.

If it's warmer than that the food will deteriorate.

Most fresh things you have then frozen are fine to keep in the freezer for a while. We have used meat months after freezing it, sometimes longer.

A while ago I was talking to someone working in a supermarket as we were buying meat in bulk to freeze for later use and we got onto talking about how long it could be frozen for as we have been known to keep it in the freezer longer than the pack says you should.

Turned out she was a farmer's wife and had two big chest freezers. They used to have animals slaughtered for themselves when sending their own cows etc. for slaughter and sale, and stored it in their freezers. She'd gone through them not long before we were talking and found meat from about four years previous. They defrosted some and tried it, they survived.

I think if it is stored properly it can last a long time.

Depends when u want to use it u eat within 24 hrs of deftosting so i will put in fridge night before and put on counter in the morning but my fridge takes 2 days to defrost something

And you are supposed to defrost in the fridge, takes a while but safer. Once you get something to room temperature bacteria thrives and multiplies rapidly, so avoid defrosting at room temperature.

Thanks again mumsnetters cause without asking here I'd be chucking stuff I don't need to, I know I joke saying I'm a newbie but my dm isn't alive n my poor ddad is getting on a bit n hasn't a clue when it comes to this kinda thing

Legend has it there's 2 rainbow trout at the bottom of dm's chest freezer that haven't seen daylight since 1980. Maybe I should go fishing for them

It takes ages to defrost in my fridge so I take stuff out in the morning and put it on the worktop to defrost. Once defrosted it goes in the fridge

If I want to defrost, I put it in my fridge before I go to bed the night before so it’s fully defrosted by dinner time the next evening. Leaving it to defrost on the counter would make me feel a bit queasy due to bacteria/being too warm and I’m not the precious type!

You can cook from frozen, it's even better than defrosting in the fridge in regards to bacteria. If you buy frozen meat it is recommended to cook directly from frozen as it is often not the freshest meat that is used.

I’m bemused that someone can make it to the age of 30 and not know this.

And remember that if you freeze something raw (like mince beef) then defrost it and cook it (such as lasagna) you can then refreeze it for another 3-6 months.