Is my frozen chicken ok to use?

[Michael in FtW]

Dude....2 years for a chicken breast? Paleeeze. There's no way I would touch that. It must taste like shoe leather. Two months I could deal with, NOT 2 years!

Actually, Jeekinz ... chicken breasts vacuum sealed for 2 years could taste fresher, and have less texture damage, than some just tossed into the freezer in the store package for a couple or so months!

Oh, and if the seal was not 100% - you would see ice crystals inside the package.

 

[schoolgirl]

With the week-end coming up I won't have time to cook the chicken, but when I cook it next wk I'll post on here to let you know how it taste. I'm hoping it will be fine. Faye

 

[CharlieD]

Of topic. One time my freezer got defrosted. I don't know how it happened, but I came home at night and my wife told me about. So i went to work, a roast, a turkey 3 or 4 chickens, I don't remember what else, but I was cookin all night.

 

[Michael in FtW]

LOL - yeah CharlieD ... that's why I put that "qualifier" in there ... If it has been frozen all of this time ... wouldn't want someone to say something like, "Oh thanks - our electricity went out for 6 weeks and wanted to make sure it was safe to eat because it was vacuum packaged ..."

 

[sattie]

Anything in it's original packaging and frozen is only good for a couple of months and that is pushing it. And when I say good, I am referring to the quality. I despise freezer burnt products more than anything and it is quite a nasty taste. (One of the reasons I bought a foodsaver.) Any meat you buy you don't intend on eating within the first month of purchase, vaccumm pack it!!! I would eat chicken or any other meat that has been vaccumm packed over 2 years old. It taste as good as it would if I were to have thawed and cooked it in the first month of freezing it.

Sorry, not trying to rehash anything.. just my .10.... No offense to anyone... I understand Jeeks reasoning too!

Charlie D... that had to be one heck of a banquet!!!! I will have to keep that in mind if it ever happens to me.

 

[mozart]

GB, there are alot of 'IF's' in that post. That's why I refrain from giving the OK. I realize the bird in the sink is not the "mainstream" way to defrost, but that's what I do.

Actually, I'd be willing to bet that it is the mainstream way that folks defrost chicken. It is not the recommended way, but it is not all that risky if done properly.

Properly means thawing it only until it begins to become pliable but still has ice crystals through it. This means, basically, thawing thicken parts.

Whole chickens or Turkeys can be thawed in water. This is done solely to speed up the process as water is a much better conductor of heat than air.

GB is right about the 40 degree rule, but it has to be at least 2 hrs above that before any problems can start.

The reason it isn't recommended is because many people won't do it properly. They will put in in the sink, go to work, and come home 9 hours later. Or they take the chicken out the night before, and go to bed. That is just asking for trouble.

While many talk about thawing in the refrigerator, I don't see many doing it. Mainly, it is a timing issue. You have to remember to take it out of the freezer a couple of days before you want to cook it. How many busy people really plan their meals days in advance?

Just to be clear, thawing in the refrigerator is safer because there is no opportunity for doing it improperly. Thawing in the sink can be done properly, but requires the attention of the cook.

If I take out parts, I will set the timer for 2 1/2 hours. I know I'm safe at that point. Then it goes into the refrigerator unless cooking very soon.

 

[GB]

I agree with Mozart. Just for clarification, my comments about thawing in the sink was with the assumption that a chicken was placed in a sink and left there for hours and hours and hours without doing anything else. I do often do sink thawing, but I do it in a sink full of ice water making sure the water stays very cold. I also only do this with small pieces (my whole birds I always buy fresh, not frozen, and use right away).

 

[Chopstix]

From time to time I would unearth some lump of mystery meat in my freezer, and have a few laughs over what it finally turns out to be. I'm pretty sure though that nothing has stayed there longer than a couple months.

That's one advantage of a small freezer! Space is limited and therefore I can't buy too much and I need to keep my inventory moving. Also I remember someone saying that the freezer should not be kept like a morgue. Some image, huh. So I try to immediately use meat that I buy or buy closer to date of cooking.

Me, I'd toss out a two-year old vacuum packed chicken myself. Why? Because even frozen vacuum packed processed meats have expiry dates on them, plus the price of one chicken is nothing compared to the cost of medication or hospitalization for food poisoning. But this is just me.

 

[mozart]

Me, I'd toss out a two-year old vacuum packed chicken myself. Why? Because even frozen vacuum packed processed meats have expiry dates on them, plus the price of one chicken is nothing compared to the cost of medication or hospitalization for food poisoning. But this is just me.

The point you are missing, Chopstix, is that there is no difference in potential for food poisoning between a week old frozen chicken breast and a 2 year old frozen chicken breast.

Whatever condition the chicken was in when put in the freezer is.....well.......frozen in time

 

[YT2095]

it`s not inconceivable for a significant amount of it becoming Freeze Dried and having the cavity filled with Ice that`s been forced out however.

I`ve seen that happen where there has Been no cavity and also vacuum shrink sealed.

 

[Constance]

Here's a hint about using older meats...cook them in some sort of sauce, which will improve the flavor. Tomato sauce works especially well.

 

[Jeekinz]

Someone should make a poll: Would you eat a 2 year old frozen chicken breast or not. I'd be interested in the results.

Mozart, I get your point.....in fact, that was my angle on the last discussion we had.

 

[Andy M.]

Properly wrapped or vacuum sealed, chicken (or any other meat) can last for a very long time in the freezer, especially if it's not a frost-free freezer. Store packaging has significant air spaces under the wrapper and that is where freezer burn occurs. That is why it is very improtant to rewrap foods before freezing. I'd eat a properly packaged chicken breast that's been in a (not frost-free) freezer for two years.

 

[jennyema]

The chicken is perfectly safe to eat but the quality has degraded, perhaps significantly.

Whether you would enjoy eating that chicken or not is really the question at hand.

I'm with Constance. I'd cook the chicken and then combine it with some kind of tasty sauce and other ingredients in a casserole or enchilada or something like that and not risk serving it "naked."

 

[suziquzie]

While many talk about thawing in the refrigerator, I don't see many doing it. Mainly, it is a timing issue. You have to remember to take it out of the freezer a couple of days before you want to cook it. How many busy people really plan their meals days in advance?

I do!

 

[ChefJune]

Can I ask something here.....
What if it had freezer burn?
I just picked up some chicken wings on sale a few weeks ago and looked today and freezer burn is starting to move in. They are in the original bag.
Should I have taken them out and stuck them in a foodsaver bag after I bought them?

the original wrappings meat comes in from the market are not freezer safe. The best way to store them "for later" is to remove the original wrappings and rewrap in freezer paper, then into a freezer-safe storage bag. If you use a food saver, be sure your bags are freezer-safe.

 

[mozart]

I do!

Susi,

At 10:52 on the "Dinner, Friday, FEB 22" Thread you said:

"I think Fettucini Alfredo and a salad. Or turkey tetrazzini. I'm in an -ini kinda mood today.

I guess it's a loose plan, eh?

 

[suziquzie]

pre-cooked frozen meat.
Yep. loose plan. Rules don't apply to dinner plans, I have small children.
My point was that when I plan on using a large piece of meat I thaw in in the fridge, and I use it weather I decide on a specific dish or not. I plan ahead on the use of the meat, not the recipe.
I can't believe I am now defending my dinner plans.

 

[Jeekinz]

LOL - That was a little creepy.

 

[jennyema]

pre-cooked frozen meat.
Yep. loose plan. Rules don't apply to dinner plans, I have small children.
My point was that when I plan on using a large piece of meat I thaw in in the fridge, and I use it weather I decide on a specific dish or not. I plan ahead on the use of the meat, not the recipe.
I can't believe I am now defending my dinner plans.

Good grief! Dinner Plans??? They are meant to be changed. And often.

I've gone from making beef stew to coq au vin to chicken marsala in my head, all this morning.

But after the chili sauce thread I've decided to make OL BLUE'S MEATLOAF!

Or tettrazini? Or alfredo? Hmmmmmmm........