To eat this meat

[CharlieRight]

I called in to see MIL earlier (FIL works away during the week so I pop in once or twice pw to see if she needs anything and to chat a bit)

She reminded/ told me that there was a lot of our stuff in her chest freezer. So we went to look and there was indeed quite a lot; half a dozen steaks, mince, chicken breasts. All left over from when we lived there in 2021 so it is at least 4 years old.
(on a side note I am amused that they didn't eat it themselves, but not surprised because they do have quite a strong sense of 'not taking food out of our mouths' in this case literally)

Anyway I have taken it away and put it into our freezer have I just won the meat lottery or a one way ticket to food poisoning?

Oh great! The post I quoted has been removed, not just deleted but completely gone. Makes my post look very random!

@CharlieRight to answer your question - I would use it no problem.

I have to say it was completely baffling, now it's merely intriguing

😆🤣
Someone somehow managed to link your frozen food question into an ad for a Starbucks app - bizarre!

I’d eat it but make stews : casserole type things with it rather than just serve a steak

I wouldn’t eat it but I might give it to the cat..

I don't eat meat anyway, but in those circumstances I would cook it for my dog.

That happened to one I quoted the other day, I ended up looking like I was just ranting at myself

Casseroles!

I wouldn't eat it. Freezing doesn't completely stop spoilage it just dramatically slows it down, hence frozen food still has use by dates. This makes me think of my mum who had a chest freezer completely full to the brim and stuff at the bottom had always been there for years

I'd slow cooker it ....

@Katemax82 agreed especially if freezer hasn’t been at a consistent -18c in the last 4 years

How can you be sure there hasn't been a powercut at some point and it's not defrosted and refrozen again?

The food will taste awful now too, freezing doesn't keep stuff indefinitely, not in commercial freezers anyway.

Just asked my husband he’s a chef. He said it will be fine as long as the freezer was below -18°.

Omg there will be nothing wrong with it! (I have eaten a 15 year old frozen chicken which, despite the freezer burn was actually perfectly fine!l)....I will caveat that I am well renowned for my "cast iron guts" ..... honestly OP you've hit the meat jackpot xx

I would think of it as safe to eat but probably not very nice unless cooked for ages with lots of herbs or spices

I'd bin the chicken after that long. Casserole the steaks for a long time. I'd probably marinade prior to detough it

Perfectly safe. How long something has been frozen for is largely irrelevant , it's the process of freezing and defrosting that affects the quality.

Yes that’s what I thought, bacteria will still develop at anything less.

from a search

The recommended best temperature for a freezer in the UK is -18°C (0°F) or below, according to the Food Standards Agency. This temperature is crucial for preventing the growth of harmful bacteria and maintaining the quality, taste, and texture of frozen food.

Bin it....wouldnt give it to a dog🤮

Assuming it was handled properly before freezing, it'll just be a quality issue. It might be tough as old boots!

Bacteria can't grow in a freezer.

Most bacteria stop growing around 2-3*c that's why we use fridges.
You get some cryophilic bacteria but they're rare.

The quote isnt wrong per se, we also freeze to prevent bacterial growth but that happens way before -18*c which is primarily for quality.

I would eat it. Scientifically it should be completely safe, unless their freezer has thawed or is not at the right temp but I assume they would know if it has defrosted?

@TwelvePercent so am I wasting my electricity keeping my freezer at -18 ? I’m just doing what has been recommended from a bit of simple research

I recommend you keep your freezer at -18 or you'll have a wet floor and soggy, stuck together chicken nuggets and nobody needs that.

@TwelvePercent thanks ! No nuggets in my freezer I’m veggie but plenty of ice cream and ice cubes, frozen limes and Waitrose potato rostis ❤️ my ice cream is always very hard so I guess thats a good thing.