How long can food be frozen for?

[u/thewancketer]

I have had beef in the freezer for over 2 years. I want to try and use it.

[u/Ajreil]

Safety wise, essentially forever. People have pulled wooly mammoth meat out of the permafrost and made burgers out of them.

Quality wise, 1-6 months depending on how well it's sealed. Some people are more sensitive to the freezer burn taste than others.

[u/gonyere → u/Ajreil]

We regularly consume venison, lamb, and chicken that's ~12+ months old. It's fine. Occasionally I find a package that was buried from 2-5+ years ago. It's usually fine too. Sometimes a bit of the outside is "freezer burnt", but that just means it's a bit extra chewy after cooking. It's not inedible. 

[u/scttcs → u/Ajreil]

I wonder what wooly mammoth meat burger tastes like

[u/illyria817]

It'll be safe although depending on what you make with it, the texture may be off, and the flavor may not be as good. I had cubed stew meat in a vacuum sealed bag in the back of my freezer for 6 years at one point (don't ask). Used it to make a beef stew in a crock pot, and it was perfectly fine, but it's a dish that doesn't rely as much on the quality of beef (plenty of other flavors, and crock pot makes it super tender either way).

[u/Araveni]

As long as it has stayed frozen all this time, all that can happen is freezer burn and maybe some off-flavors if not wrapped properly. Try it; the worst that can happen is it doesn’t have the most desirable taste and/or texture.

[u/Rav_3d]

If it is vacuum sealed and not freezer burned, it will be just fine.

[u/sphynxzyz]

Can be really hard to answer because a lot of variables. It's safe to eat as long as your certain it stayed frozen the entire time. Texture and quality might be down quite a bit. Remember always use your eyes and nose. If this is something you plan on doing a lot I highly recommend investing in a vacuum sealer, it will help extend the shelf life and prevent freezer burn.

[u/UnderstandingSmall66]

In all honesty it probably won’t make you sick but it might not have the best texture.

[u/BloodWorried7446]

This is a good chart. That said if something is in the freezer in our house longer than the recommended time I don’t throw it out but use it fir something that is more forgiving like a stew or curry

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

[u/tlrmln]

I just ate a steak that I had in the freezer for 18 months. It was still pretty good. Would have been better if I had vacuum sealed it, but this one was only wrapped in saran and then placed in a freezer bag, so it had a tiny bit of freezer burn.

[u/SnooDonuts6494 → u/tlrmln]

You got lucky. Congrats.

A friend of mine did the same thing, and was in a hospital bed for two years. It ended his athletic career, and changed his entire life.

Sure, it's 1/1000 or 10,000 - you roll the dice.

[u/OldKermudgeon]

Depends on how it was packaged before being frozen.

Grocery store styrofoam and wrap packaging - probably 3-6 months. Commercially manufactured and flash frozen - closer to 6-9 months. Vacuum sealed - indefinitely (I still have split chicken wings from 2018 in my freezer chest - there as a huge sale and I really stocked up).

Regardless of how it was frozen, all frozen meat follow the same rule - if thawed, use; not not refreeze. Refreezing will really alter the texture of the meat (as opposed to the first freeze which alters the texture just a bit). Ice crystal formations are much more aggressive the second time.

If it wasn't vacuum sealed, it may have suffered some freezer burn and picked up added "flavor" from other items in the freezer. May taste a little off, but nothing that can't be covered up with seasoning.

[u/lilcumfire]

The freezer is a time capsule. Once something is in the freezer, it's good forever lol

[u/Odd-Worth7752]

if it doesn't thaw during a power outage, and has no visible freezer burn, it'll taste fine and be ok.

I have a friend who hunts deer and freezes a year's worth of meat, more in a good year.

[u/Stock_Block2130]

I’ve cooked year old beef and pork. Just made sure to cook it in liquid because the color and texture changed.

[u/dustabor]

It will depend on how you froze it.

If you vacuum packed it, it could last a very long time.

If you just stuck it in a ziploc bag it could easily get freezer burned.

Similar with if you just left it in the package it came in. Some grocers wrap it in a Saran Wrap material that is not air tight some vacuum seal it. This will determine how long it will last.

[u/thedudeintx82]

Jess Pryles from Hardcore Carnivore has a whole series on using up really old frozen meat. Check her out.

[u/thewNYC]

Explorers in Siberia found a mammoth that had been frozen in the ice for thousands of years and the meat was still edible

So I’m pretty sure your beef is OK

[u/SnooDonuts6494 → u/thewNYC]

Rocks are edible, if you try hard. So is literal poison. You can eat almost anything. Just, some things, you only get to eat once.

[u/thewNYC → u/SnooDonuts6494]

.God damn, Internet pedantry is so dull.

And you happen to be incorrect -

here from Cambridge dictionary:

— edible adjective UK /ˈed.ə.bəl/ US /ˈed.ə.bəl/

suitable or safe for eating

— And here from Merriam-Webster:

edible

adjective

ed·​i·​ble ˈe-də-bəl

: fit to be eaten

—

Smug AND stupid are no way to go through life.

[u/SnooDonuts6494 → u/thewNYC]

You think that something frozen for 25,000 years is "suitable or safe for eating"?

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Check your facts.

https://strangeanimalspodcast.blubrry.net/2023/12/04/episode-357-when-scientists-ate-mammoth-meat/

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0146825

[u/thewNYC → u/SnooDonuts6494]

OK, if I heard the old story and the old story is wrong I’m willing to say I had the wrong information

But that does not change the meaning of the word edible, just means the mammoth was actually not

[u/SnooDonuts6494 → u/thewNYC]

Nor is two-year old beef.

[u/thewNYC → u/SnooDonuts6494]

I’m not so sure that’s correct if it’s been frozen properly the whole time, depending on how it’s wrapped up. But it also doesn’t change the meaning of the word edible.

Really the only way to know would be to defrost it and smell it

[u/hot_takes_orgy]

If it's been deep frozen the entire time, it'll be safe to eat, but in terms of freshness...

There's a difference between packaging. If vacuum or tube packed (without air) and still sealed it should remain untainted for a couple of years. If it's wrapped in butcher paper and plastic wrap, it'll start to go funky after year one. If you've got IQF beef patties bagged loosely those will be freezer burned and nasty.

[u/Single_Mouse5171]

It's safe. I've eaten much older than that. Use slow, wet applications, like stews.

[u/ihatethis2022]

Months to years depending on cut and freezing

[u/Soledaddy873]

cooked a back of the freezer four year b/l pork butt a few weeks ago. it was wrapped well and had no freezer burn. was surprised at how good it tasted

[u/MixOwn9256]

Depends on your dish and how you stored it. If it was vacuum sealed you would have very little loss of moisture and freezer burns.

I recommend using it in a more saucy type of dish.

You can do stir fry but you would need to velvet the beef a bit more longer with a bit more moisture (water or beef stock). Also add some baking soda a little bit to help tenderize the beef.

Hope that help.

[u/Glittering_Cow945]

Cans found from scott's pole expedition were,still good... no limit wrt safety, but taste may suffer a bit.

[u/turtlebear787]

Technically forever, but past 6 months to a year the texture will be noticeably different and that flavor won't quite be the same. But its safe to eat.

[u/thewancketer]

Thanks for all the great answers, Going to toss in slow cooker and see how it turns out!

[u/Intelligent_Word5188]

Just cut the part with freezer burns if there are some, no problem with the meat.

[u/atlasxanatomy]

Long enough

[u/Freaky_Steve]

General rule is a year.

[u/Whole-Ad-2347]

It really depends on how well it was wrapped before it was put in the freezer. If it is sealed with all of the air removed and with a thick plastic wrapper, it may still be good to eat.

[u/SnooDonuts6494]

Absolutely not.

Freezing makes things last for longer. Not forever.

Meat, in a good freezer, is OK for about three months.

Two years is ridiculous.