Lifetime of food in a freezer.

Pete

Pete

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I thought for a while for the thread title!
Frozen foods lifetime? Freezer life? Life in a frozen state?
Anyways... I see numerous different labels dictating 'freeze on day of purchase' (fairly obvious), then, use within one/two/three/six month(s) of freezing.

Is this similar to the best before/use by debate?

Will foods deteriorate to the point of nastiness, or just lose their taste or texture.
 
Great idea for a thread! My freezer could aptly be renamed a mortuary or possibly a graveyard. But I've realised that things don't really go off - they can lose a bit of 'quality' but generally they don't go off. I recently dug up a monkfish from the depths of my freezer. I knew it had been there for at least 18 months. I defrosted, sniffed (it was fine) filleted it and cooked it. Absolutely delicious. The fillets were sandwiched together and stuffed with pickled lemons, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and olives.
 
I don't take any notice at all of the "use within" dates. They bear no relation whatsoever to the recommended times given in freezer instruction manuals, and different makes of freezers often give different recommendations anyway. The only things I have found that deteriorate terribly are frozen cauliflower and green (French) beans, both of which often morph into an unbreakable block of ice; the cauli seems to go a horrible colour, and the beans seem to shrink. I usually buy these fresh in season anyway. I am also careful with packs of steak, chops etc which, if the pack is not closed or re-wrapped properly, may develop freezer burn. According to a relative who worked in a frozen food factory, some foods, particular poultry and joints of meat, can be frozen for quite a long time before they even hit the supermarkets, whilst some imported foods come in chilled and are only actually frozen once they get here - it probably saves time hanging meat en route :D The absolutely delicious leg of lamb I am working through at the moment and which was not frozen states quite clearly on the pack "produce of New Zealand" and "chilled". It was nestling in my fridge for several days and, if it had been frozen and thawed out, it would have been off by the time I got round to using it.
 
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Get a vacuum food sealer like or similar to the one next to my stove (in pic above)!

It can help food last up to 5x longer, helps prevent freezer burn and also helps prevent food spoilage.

Air is the #1 cause of food spoilage.

It can ruin frozen foods if it is not removed from the storage bags. Ice crystals begin to develop on the food. The damaging air sets up housekeeping by draining out the moisture in frozen foods, and when THAT is done, the food spoilage begins with discoloring and browning of meats, as though it were already cooked.

In air-tight bags, there is no chance of this happening. It also stops meats from becoming smelly & rancid. :wink:
 
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Things last in my freezer until my wife decides that she needs more room to freeze bread.
Who the f freezes bread?
I freeze bones and carcasses with which to make stock, or whole fish when I've had a good day on the line, or meats from the fridge that would have otherwise gone bad.
But no.
If the meats or fish look a little frosty, they are deemed freezer burned and tossed out to make room for bagels or rye bread.
If my carcasses and bones for stock are found, they are immediately ejected. You know; cause we need room for rolls, or maybe a naan.

So, I say marry wisely, or forego the freezer.
 
What I freeze: Food stuff I prepare myself - Chili con carne, curries, mushy peas, beef stew (excluding the potatoes and carrots), onion gravy, pureed garlic and ginger, salsa, certain marinades.

What I freeze after buying fresh (usually): Chicken, pork, offal, French bread, Cheddar cheese (sometimes).

What I keep in the freezer after buying frozen: Beef steaks, fish steaks, bacon, gammon, sliced ham, sausages, naan bread, flour tortillas, peas, meat pies/pasties.

I don't freeze vegetables or fruit normally - if it's in season we eat it; if it isn't we don't eat it (which is normal rural Thai mentality).

When we were building our house here we rented temporary accommodation about 500 m from the site. I purchased a cheap fridge as a stop gap prior to buying a fridge/freezer. When we moved into the new house, I gave the fridge to the mother-in-law. I think the only thing I ever saw in there was a small bottle of water (and, of course, the fridge wasn't turned on).
 
Only thing we find does 'go off' is milk [we usually keep an emergency pint to hand] but it has to be used and changed every couple of weeks
 
buckytom said:
Who the f freezes bread?
Click to expand...
I do :D but then I make my own bread and very rarely make one loaf at a time.
A freezer runs more efficiently if it is full and, apparently, bread is a cheap (!?!?) way of filling up the space. My enormous chest freezer is never less than jam-packed full of goodies, and I have trouble fitting the bread in to it.
 
My dear old mum always recommended filling any empty space in the freezer with bread. I can understand the logic but I rarely have any space at all in my freezer (upright, not chest).
 
My freezer is in an unheated room (my kitchen), so in winter it very rarely needs to "fire up" - excellent as far as the electricity bill is concerned. I just need a much bigger fridge for all the fresh food I buy, but that may mean a major rearrangement of the kitchen.....
 
Back in the '70s, I used to think that there is no way that food could spoil in the freezer. Boy!! Was I wrong!
As long as air is in or around it, there is a very strong possibility that the food will eventually spoil is something isn't done to stop it soon! :eek:
 
I has a chest freezer and would've taken it with me when I moved, but I had no way to get it over here!
So when the chance comes, I will be buying another small freezer soon! :wink:
 
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