Defrosting meat

[Kafri]

Hi

I'm really new and not very good to this cooking lark - I can prety much make a simple tea for DH and I but that's as far as it's gone up to now.

So, in trying to think a bit more about waste and cost etc I decided to get bigger packs of meat and freeze some

So...

I froze some turkey breast on the last day it was supposed to be used. I took it out of the freezer on Monday lunchtime supposedly to use Tuesday tea time but it hadn't finished defrosting. (it was on a plate in the fridge which I was told was safest) so, am I ok to use it tonight?

Simple as that really, but I guess I was just wondering what the rules are with frozen meat etc. I know not to defrost in hot water etc

Any tips gratefully received. TIA

Hey there Kafri. I would advise you not to cook it, or if you do, cook it now and serve it tonight, rather than waiting until this evening to cook it. Does it smell? Usually when meat is past its best, it smells. Was it covered in the fridge or open? Rule of thumb is defrost for 24 hours in the fridge then use straight away. If you defrost to cook but don't want to use it straight away, defrost, cook and then it will keep a wee bit longer in the fridge. I do this all the time with meat. Also, meat will only really keep for 3 months in the freezer.

it should be cooked within 24 hours of it defrosting so count from when it was fully defrosted. I personally defrost out of the fridge and once defrosted put it in the fridge until it is used that same day.

Meat keeps safely indefinitely in the freezer but the longer it is kept the more the quality deteriorates i.e. it is a quality rather than safety issue with foods frozen for a longer period of time.

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/homehygiene/Pages/how-to-store-food-safely.aspx

Thank you guys, much appreciated.

I didn't risk it in the end - i'm bloody terrified of making everyone poorly.

What would have been my best bet then? - Like I said, when I came to use it on Tuesday night it still wasn't completely defrosted and had been in the fridge 30 hours.

you have 24 hours from when it defrosts fully for it to be used. I would have cooked it tbh.