5 year old frozen beef...is it safe?? - Page 2

[Sierra]

Originally Posted by sweetjasmine

um, no, I wouldn't take the chance. ~shudder~ Sometimes food may not necessarily taste or look bad but can still harbor something unsafe. 5 years?? No way! And you don't know these people. Not that they are untrustworthy but I just wouldn't take the chance with my family.

Someone could test this for you...if you knew someone in biology or chemistry maybe they could refer you to a person who could do the testing (??).

I don't eat meat, and never have, but putting myself in your shoes, I'd most likely throw it out (even though it would be painful to do so).

[1growingsprout]

I would not eat the meat or feed the meat to my family. Out in the trash it goes.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I have a crown roast from a lamb we had slaughtered for us 2 years ago in my freezer. Well, I guess 3 years now. And I won't eat it. I've been tryign to give it away on craigslist/freecycle for someone who makes their own dog food.

sorry, there are certain food things I beleive, and frozen meat is only good for 12 mos, maybe 14 max. Otherwise, no way.

There was a house full of food at our house when we moved in. I tossed all of it including a questionable looking shrink-wrapped item we came to call "the deer heart".

Wasteful or not, your safety is more important.

[katiesk]

i sometimes eat really old moose meat that has been in my parent's freezer for...years...it's fine.

but i know exactly how long it has been in there, it has stayed frozen, nothing questionable other than the fact that it is old.

random five year old meat? nope.

[dubfam]

The meat is neatly (double) wrapped in white butcher's paper. It is labeled with the date, source and type of meat. I looked again today and I actually think it is closer to 50 pounds, possibly more!

The meat seriously looks perfect (at least the package I unwrapped did) and I would never guess that it is 5 years old. It looks like it could be a month old. I am leaning toward feeding it to the dog...but I don't want to waste it if it *is* edible.

But I don't think I am brave enough to try it...especially since so many of you are saying no way.

[dubfam]

Originally Posted by Sierra

Someone could test this for you...if you knew someone in biology or chemistry maybe they could refer you to a person who could do the testing (??).

I don't eat meat, and never have, but putting myself in your shoes, I'd most likely throw it out (even though it would be painful to do so).

This is an interesting idea.

Also, I know this sounds terrible, but our local food banks have actually been ASKING for expired food. They have 'experts' to determine what is and isn't safe. I am wondering if they would be able to put it to use after they determined whether or not it was okay to eat? The waste factor is just driving me crazy...especially since it looks perfect. There are so many people struggling to put food on the table right now...

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Originally Posted by DenverGirlie

So long as it hasn't been thawed and frozen again (long power outages, etc), it's safe to eat. Nothing can "grow" when it's frozen. Now it will most likely be rather tough and loss of flavor, but it's edible.

as long as your trust them 100% about it being frozen the whole time. We routinely eat deer meat that has been frozen that long.

[Alyantavid]

Originally Posted by Denvergirlie

So long as it hasn't been thawed and frozen again (long power outages, etc), it's safe to eat. Nothing can "grow" when it's frozen. Now it will most likely be rather tough and loss of flavor, but it's edible.

Originally Posted by Fuamami

I think you'll be able to tell if it's bad when you thaw it out, because it will smell rancid.

Also, if it doesn't taste terribly freezer-burned, and you cook it really well, I don't think there's really anything that could make you sick.

That. We regularly have meat in our freezers more than 12 months. And it's always been fine. It's hard to know for sure that it's stayed frozen the entire time, but it's completely possible that it has and it's totally fine.

[Kyamo]

If I trusted/believed the people that it really had been frozen the whole time, and after hearing more details about why it was there, I would try a bit of it, to see if it was tough or tasted bad. If it tasted ok, sure. If it really was frozen the whole time and you cook it well, it won't make anyone sick, but the taste/texture might be not so good.

[mommyto4grits]

Originally Posted by SophieAnn

If it was my own meat, and had been in a deep-freezer - yes, I'd eat it.

Regular fridge freezer - no way.

Someone else's meat - no way.

[Norabella]

I would try thawing some, and if it smells okay I would try it (making sure it was cooked throughly). My mom bought a bunch of organic, local beef b/c she is opening a store, BUT, didn't get the store open before the beef was too old to sell. It is at least 5 years old now, (and it has even been partially thawed and refrozen due to a freezer malfunction), we are using it and it is FINE. The quality of meat does deterioriate while frozen, but it isn't like it goes bad while in the freezer. If it smells okay and you trust the source I would totally use it.

[Ruthiegirl]

Oh, I would totally eat that meat. Cook it up and try it. And let us know how you fare.