How old is too old? Frozen Beef

[OutdoorLover]

Freezer burn is pretty obvious visually on beef - that grey or light brown color. It doesn't render food unsafe, but a steak with serious freezer burn won't have great taste and texture anymore - some sources suggest using such beef in a stew to hydrate and tenderize it, and to some extent have the broth flavors dominate the beef flavors.

https://reviewed.usatoday.com/refrig...-to-prevent-it

[harry chickpea]

As pointed out, there are a bunch of factors.

Ground meats will have problems faster than whole cuts. I still have some $4/lb ribeye primal in the freezer.

Special packaging need to be used for frost free freezers. The issue with those is the temperature swings that promote sublimation to remove the frost. Storing properly wrapped or sealed items in a cardboard box can limit those swings and make food last longer. Bubble wrap can do much the same. Absent those, water packing can make a difference.

Actual temp in the freezer makes a difference. 5 degrees is much worse than -5 degrees.

Some chemical processes continue on even at sub-zero temperatures. This may seem counter-intuitive, but we've grown up in a time when any freezing is considered close to stasis. That only occurs at absolute zero.

I max out at about 18 months for ground meat, 2 to 3 months for any veggies (blueberries excepted - they seem to last for years), six years for primal packed meat, maybe a little more for a shrink wrapped whole chicken properly over-wrapped. Bread products vary wildly. A week can be too much for some, English muffins can go a couple months. Soups vary as well. A beef stew can go a couple years or more. Cream soups don't fare well in general and a couple months is about as much as I can tolerate. YMMV

[old_cold]

Extreme example I can give is 13 years for Cryovac wrapped roast . It was as if it was purchased yesterday.

[Jkgourmet]

We have 3 refrigerator freezers for a two person household. Lots of meat. But I've stopped buying steaks for the freezer. Even on sale, they're too damn expensive to freeze. So much better tasting when fresh.

Lots of pork and chicken - all marked with a date and used within a year. Hamburger meat used within 3-4 months. Roasted hatch Chile's and poblanos can be in there for over a year, but definitely start to lose their flavor and heat at about the 15 month mark. Homemade stock - 6 months or less.

[mainebrokerman]

I’ve had meat in the freezer for years

One recent surprise….. I thawed a frozen 2 year old spiral ham … that looked a little
Freezer burnt….. thawed and cooked for my lady and surprisingly one of the best
Hams we had … it was a carando brand ..

[SFBayBoomer]

Originally Posted by lubby

I never have that much meat in my freezer. I use every bit and never let it sit in my freezer more than a few months before cooking it. But then again I live in a town where I have Access to grocery stores less than a 10 minute drive. It's only 2 of us and I buy enough meat for the week. I do weekly shopping. I can't see having a freezer chest full of meat to last me months it's way to much.

Same here, with many grocery stores within a 5-mile radius.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

Depends on how it's been stored. Everything we seal in foodsaver bags is good for years. I would never have anything in my freezer for 10 years, so I don't know.

Last fall my son cooked FoodSaver pandemic chicken breast. It was fine.

[Nonchalance]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

I’ve had meat in the freezer for years

One recent surprise….. I thawed a frozen 2 year old spiral ham … that looked a little
Freezer burnt….. thawed and cooked for my lady and surprisingly one of the best
Hams we had … it was a carando brand ..

I think that's our go-to brand.