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Burger meat in freezer

F

FFactory0x

Diamond Member
How long can burger ground round last in the freezer? Its in a bunch of zip locks and has been in there for months


Update. It doesnt smell but its not red anymore. Its like a grayish color. Is this bad?
 
Originally posted by: UsandThem
Originally posted by: FFactory0x
How long can burger ground round last in the freezer? Its in a bunch of zip locks and has been in there for months
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12 months
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if it's been there for more than 12 months, just toss it. it's obvious you don't like burgers and just want a frozen meat block in the freezer.
 
Thaw it, and put your nose to it. If it smells bad, toss it. If not, cook it well and it will be fine.
 
Originally posted by: Rudee
Thaw it, and put your nose to it. If it smells bad, toss it. If not, cook it well and it will be fine.
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couple of my college buddies found out the hard way that you have to throw it out if it smells bad. Even if you cook it for 3 hours, the toxins won't get broken down (even though all the bacteria get destroyed)

smell is the best way to tell, but odds are your burgers are fine.
 
Take them out and thaw. If it's freezer burned or weird in other ways, just toss it.

 
Originally posted by: gsaldivar
If it's been frozen solid since Jan. in an airtight bag, it should be fine.
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There's no such thing as an airtight bag, unless he used one of those food saver dealies to package it up.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: gsaldivar
If it's been frozen solid since Jan. in an airtight bag, it should be fine.
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There's no such thing as an airtight bag, unless he used one of those food saver dealies to package it up.
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Ziplocs are airtight. Just squeeze the extra air out of the bag and close ftw.
 
Originally posted by: FFactory0x
Update. It doesnt smell but its not red anymore. Its like a grayish color. Is this bad?
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It either means that some of the blood has drained away from the surface of the meat, or that batch of meat has less food coloring than you're used to (yes, they use coloring in some meats to add a reddish tint.)

If the surface has a pale or white tint, then your container might not have been airtight, or had excess air inside of it when you sealed it. This is freezer burn, and the surface of the meat might be spoiled due to contact with the moisture in the freezer.

Just thaw it completely and smell it before cooking. If it smells bad, just throw it out.
 
Originally posted by: gsaldivar
Originally posted by: Eli
Originally posted by: gsaldivar
If it's been frozen solid since Jan. in an airtight bag, it should be fine.
Click to expand...
There's no such thing as an airtight bag, unless he used one of those food saver dealies to package it up.
Click to expand...

Ziplocs are airtight. Just squeeze the extra air out of the bag and close ftw.
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Ziplog bags are in no way, shape or form air tight. Further, you will never get all the air out by squeezing the bag.

Even if the bag appears air tight, the plastic itself leaks. Molecule by molecule, the bag will seek to equalize pressure across its surfaces.

Just try it for yourself. Blow one up, and see how long it stays that way. Or, vacuum pack something in one if you have a Food Saver.

Hell, fill one with water. Usually, they leak pretty bad at the ziploc corners.

Bags meant for vacuum packaging are made from multiple layers of special plastic. You can keep meat frozen-fresh for years if you have such a device.
 
OK so i smelled it. Smells like meat or nothing. Not a bad oder. The outside is a graish but inside lis red. Guess its good
 
Originally posted by: Eli
Ziplog bags are in no way, shape or form air tight. Further, you will never get all the air out by squeezing the bag.
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Not getting 100% of the air out of a container before closing it doesn't mean that the container itself isn't airtight.

Sealing stuff in a vacuum helps when you're storing it at room temp. or in the fridge. However when storing at freezing temp. it's fine to have a bit of air inside the bag, because the temperature is protecting against spoilage. The thing to check is that the bag is sealed so that the air trapped inside doesn't mix with the air circulating in the freezer, which leads to moisture-spoilage or "freezer-burn".

Even if the bag appears air tight, the plastic itself leaks. Molecule by molecule, the bag will seek to equalize pressure across its surfaces.
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Thats why you use these http://www.ziploc.com/double.asp ...


 
Originally posted by: FFactory0x
OK so i smelled it. Smells like meat or nothing. Not a bad oder. The outside is a graish but inside lis red. Guess its good
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Yeah, it's fine. The outside is probably just a little freezer burned. They should cook up fine..
 
Originally posted by: gsaldivar
Originally posted by: Eli
Ziplog bags are in no way, shape or form air tight. Further, you will never get all the air out by squeezing the bag.
Click to expand...

Not getting 100% of the air out of a container before closing it doesn't mean that the container itself isn't airtight.

Sealing stuff in a vacuum helps when you're storing it at room temp. or in the fridge. However when storing at freezing temp. it's fine to have a bit of air inside the bag, because the temperature is protecting against spoilage. The thing to check is that the bag is sealed so that the air trapped inside doesn't mix with the air circulating in the freezer, which leads to moisture-spoilage or "freezer-burn".

Even if the bag appears air tight, the plastic itself leaks. Molecule by molecule, the bag will seek to equalize pressure across its surfaces.
Click to expand...

Thats why you use these http://www.ziploc.com/double.asp ...
Click to expand...
Bah, those are new! 😛

I wasn't meaning to say that just because you cannot get all the air out of the bag that it is not air tight, I was saying that squeezing, sucking, etc.. the extra air out is an exercise in futility.

I repeat: Ziploc bags are not air tight. They don't claim to be air tight. Even those double layer ones are not air tight, but it probably does help.

Air in any form is undesirable when you are storing products for the long term. Air causes oxidation... amongst other things. You can store meat for 3 years or longer with the proper bags and machine. You cannot do that in a Ziploc.
 
Originally posted by: Eli
You can store meat for 3 years or longer with the proper bags and machine. You cannot do that in a Ziploc.
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I wouldn't eat food frozen for 3 years even with the proper bag/machine - but if you can, more power to you dude. :thumbsup:
 
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