Is It Ever Safe To Eat Freezer Burnt Meat?

It's hard to say where we'd be without modern-day freezers. They're the perfect solution when we over-purchase at the grocery store or make too much of a good thing and won't eat it in the coming days. As a result, you've probably stuck a package of meat in your freezer at some point after recognizing it won't get cooked in time. But now, you're ready to prepare it only to see it's full of freezer burn. While its taste and texture might be slightly off, there's good news — it's perfectly safe to eat.

Freezer burn is anything but appealing; it looks like frost all over your leftovers. It happens when the air and water molecules seep into the frozen food, which can dry it out and change its texture and color — both of these impact the meat's flavor, too. But just because it doesn't look appetizing doesn't mean it's going to harm you. For the most part, bacteria will not grow in temperatures below freezing, so you can eat that meat without worrying about getting sick.

The government's food safety website recommends eating frozen ground meat, such as hamburger meat, within three to four months of popping it in the freezer. Other whole cuts of meat, such as beef or pork, can last up to 12 months in the freezer. But that isn't for safety purposes; rather, that is the length of time that meat stays at its optimal taste and texture. Anything longer than that, and freezer burn can start to set in because the meat has more time for air to seep through the frozen packaging.

Once freezer burn happens, the meat's color and texture could shift. The meat might appear a gray color rather than the red or pink you're used to seeing when it's refrigerated. And it might feel a little different than when it was fresh. However, the meat hasn't grown more bacteria, so from a safety standpoint, you can dig in. Just keep in mind that what you're preparing might look and taste different than if you'd used the meat pre-freezer burn.

In short, you can't reverse it. Freezer burn is a scientific process that can't be undone, but that doesn't mean you should just toss everything in the freezer that might be a little past its prime. Rather, invest the time to bring it back to life by using other elements to impart flavor, such as seasonings or broth.

"With freezer burn, it can dull the natural flavor in a food, so I recommend incorporating herbs and broths to give it new flavor," food safety expert Jeff Nelken told Well + Good. For something like freezer-burned fruit, Nelken recommends adding in a liquid, which will at least help avoid the issue of the fruit tasting dried out. 

And for meats, all spices and seasonings are on the table; from a nutrition standpoint, though, you might want to avoid over-salting the food in an attempt to give it flavor. "The only pantry spice I wouldn't use to rehab freezer burned food is salt, because some frozen foods are already high in salt," Nelken said. The bottom line: Freezer burn might not be curable, but it's safe to eat, and you can bring food back to life with other ingredients to avoid wasting it.