Freezing foods?

[sam111]

Question 1
I have read thru this article
Freezing and Food Safety

It seems from this I am under the impression foods can be frozen indefinitely and still editable provided once you unthaw them you cook them right way so the dormant bacterial ,...etc don't reactivate and you kill the bad baterials when you cook it.


Question 2
I thought a little bit deeper and because ovens get to temperatures to sanitize things won't any food good or bad be still editable if you cook it long enough ... the only problem I can see is loss of nutritional value (going by the truth of this article)
And with the article on freezing above it seems to hint that most frozen foods don't loss there nutritional value and can be stored indefinitely.

So I am confused is this article BS or is it 100% true because if it is true then you should never be worried about frozen food going bad

 

[Andy M.]

The USDA site is reliable.

As it says in the USDA fact sheet, bacterial growth is stopped but food quality deteriorates.

Cooking foods does not always kill all bacteria.

 

[GotGarlic]

And cooking food does not destroy the toxins that some microbes produce.

 

[Dawgluver]

My beloved Gramma always froze her divinity candy. 10+ years later, she would drag it from the back of the freezer, we would eat it, and it tasted like dust. But nobody got sick.

 

[Oldvine]

Actually if you unthaw something, you are freezing it. Thawing takes it from frozen to unfrozen. If the frozen product was safe to eat after a short time frozen, it's safe to eat after a long frozen period as long it stayed frozen the entire time. The quality might be terrible because it has freeze dried.

 

[chopper]

The top of our wedding cake was safe to eat after several years when we got back to Michigan to give it a try, but it wasn't too tasty. Sure was fun shoving it in each others mouths again like the first time.

 

[buckytom]

this reminds me of the seinfled episode when elaine raids mr. peterman's fridge and eats a piece of king edward the 7th (?) wedding cake.
yuk.

 

[jglazebrook]

Hi,

I am always a bit scared of freezing raw meats and fish... cooked isn't so bad, but there is just something that seems to totally change when you freeze raw meat and then defrost it again later - I dont know why, I think its the smell, even thought I know its ok I cant bring myself to eat it.

Freezing cooked stew etc is fine as long as cook it direct from frozen. Frozen cakes etc are fine too.


Its also that strange thing where you can buy fresh meat, freeze it, defrost it a month later, cook it and then freeze what you have cooked.... totally fine I believe, but still seems very strange to me.

 

[sam111]

Cooking foods does not always kill all bacteria.

No, then heating at 140 F for 60 minutes wouldn't sanitize?
If you look at the wiki for disinfecting or sanitizing one could always cook to sanitize in theory. (not saying there would be a lot of taste or nutritional value but it could be done in times of safety and never having to throw anything out )

Unless of course there is some type of organism or thing that sanitizing won't kill?

Actually if you unthaw something, you are freezing it. Thawing takes it from frozen to unfrozen. If the frozen product was safe to eat after a short time frozen, it's safe to eat after a long frozen period as long it stayed frozen the entire time. The quality might be terrible because it has freeze dried.

I agree with you based on the website info I read. So in theory no frozen food would go bad ... and one can freeze indefinitely if he doesn't care about the nutritional or taste value just on the safety consumption. (provide he cooks it immediately after unfrozen)

Does anybody disagree... if so where is the flaw in my logic .