AIBU to eat this batch-cooked Casserole?

[Stillinbedat10am]

Hoping the Mumsnet hive-mind can settle an argument between me and my husband about batch-cooking!

I have found a portion of cooked chicken casserole in the back of the freezer which was made in February in the slow cooker. It contains chicken breast pieces, bacon, carrots, leeks, onion, chicken stock and probably cornflour.

I have defrosted it and was planning to serve it for dinner tonight but DH is saying that we can't eat it because Google says that you should only keep batch-cooked food in the freezer for 3 months.

AIBU to crack on and serve it for tonight's dinner or am I destined to kill us all??

As long as it’s been thoroughly frozen, properly defrosted and reheated to piping hot I’d definitely crack on.. I eat stuff out the freezer that’s been there far...far longer...!! It doesn’t go bad, the quality just starts to degrade... for me three months is nothing!! Sounds lovely! :)

We would eat it.

I’m very cautious but happily eat batch cooked food older than three months. If anything the quality may not be as good but as long as it’s been cooked, frozen, thawed and reheated properly it shouldn’t hurt anyone

That feels too long to me.

I have just found this, suggests 2-6 months maximum freeze for cooked poultry.

www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/cold-food-storage-charts

Thank you. I was under the impression that the recommended three months was more about loss of quality rather than safety. I wouldn't have given it a second thought until he started voicing opinions!

Yep, that does seem to be the general advice. I rather wish I hadn't heard that.

I'd eat it. I've managed to live over fifty years eating stuff like that.

There is absolutely nothing dangerous on long term frozen food. The time guidance is for quality. Eg. Meat will change texture.

How did DH find out? Why would you tell him. I would have just served it up and to hell with it. Honestly there is far too much fear around these days but understandable in a pandemic.

Hmm. Now I'm in a quandary because of the link that @Florencex has posted.

[quote Florencex]That feels too long to me.

I have just found this, suggests 2-6 months maximum freeze for cooked poultry.

www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/cold-food-storage-charts[/quote]
The guidelines for freezer storage are for quality only—frozen foods stored continuously at 0 °F or below can be kept indefinitely.

A previous partner was a teacher in a small private boys' school. He recounted the headmaster having done a freezer check and come up with some meatballs that had been in there for something like 5 or 10 years. Guess what the pupils had for dinner next day?

Read the links you post, people😂

@Zeebeezee

How did DH find out? Why would you tell him. I would have just served it up and to hell with it. Honestly there is far too much fear around these days but understandable in a pandemic.

He found out because he saw it defrosting in the fridge and read the label on the container. I must remember to remove the labels in future when I take stuff out to defrost.

We had 6-month old cottage pie a week or so ago, and it was fine. Possibly a slight loss of flavour, but we suffered no ill-effects.

Most of the links are US. I wonder the different food standards have an effect.

Oh God, it's been frozen, it'll be fine. I don't date anything in my freezer, some of it's probably years old.

Right. I'm off to heat it.

Just defrosting for tonights meal a chicken stew made and frozen 15 months ago!!!! Never had a problem with batch cooked and frozen food stored for more than 3 months. As long as frozen correctly defrosted and correctly re heated all should be OK

It will be fine. If DH doesnt want it, I'll have dinner with you!

From this year? God yes!

I swear there is stuff at the bottom of mine from the last millennium.

It'll be fine (ancient microbiology degree) bacterial growth will have paused when it was frozen, the quality will be fine too after that length of time, I've eaten frozen much older and tins of at least 20 years old (home canned) people are way to quick to dispose of perfectly edible food. Hope you enjoy it :)

If it has been consistently at the freezer temperature it will be fine.

I think it depends a bit on your freezer, I.e. how cold it gets.

We have two freezers, one big chest freezer and a smaller under counter freezer. I keep ice cream in the small freezer because it isn't as hard when it comes out. So I think its definitely not quite as cold.

All that said, I'd happily eat batch cooked stuff from small freezer for at least a year (it's smaller so stock control is better ), and we have eaten meat unearthed from the bottom of the chest freezer several years (four!) later. I don't think I've ever not eaten something from the freezer due to age.

We've eaten stuff that's been in the freezer for donkey's years, the only thing that would stop me using it is freezer burn!