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Could someone explain to me the issues with using frozen bones for beef stock after six months? I've had some meat on the bone that has been in the freezer for probably five years. Everything I search for online just says six months. Are these bones really unusable?
I've eaten meat that was frozen for a year and it was fine. My husband hunts and we often have frozen game for 1-2 yrs. we eat it. As long as it was always frozen and never thawed I don't see why it would go bad.
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I've never heard that. Mind you, I've never used bones frozen for as long as 5 years either, I mostly use mine right away. I'm going to guess the flavour and oomph will suffer just as if you cooked a five year old roast out of freezer. It takes a lot longer to simmer beef bones than chicken or turkey bones but, heck, it's just some water and your electricity on low, go ahead, try it.
It's a rule set by the FDA that frozen meat has to have an expiration date. Freezing does not completely halt the reproduction of bacteria, but merely slows it down to a crawl. Also, some bacteria will form a spore that is impervious to extreme cold and heat. Chances are that whole cuts of meat will be safe after that time, but there has to be some line drawn for the CYA effect.
This sounds reasonable and jives with things I read when researching raw food for Oban. Freezing does not kill everything, though extended time and lower temperatures usually make freezing safer. BUT I found this:Quote:
Originally Posted by garball
FRom the chart at the link below, to the FDA.Quote:
• If freezing meat and poultry in its original package longer than 2 months, overwrap these packageswith airtight heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap, or freezer paper, or place the package inside a plastic bag.Because freezing 0° F (-18° C) keeps food safe indefinitely, the following recommended storage times are for quality only.
https://www.fda.gov/downloads/food/f.../ucm109315.pdf
However this link says what freezing doesn't kill, heat will. So broth should be ok. It's those people and dogs who eat raw food, or not properly cooked food, who are in danger. Looks like we are all in danger, really. Heck, there's a warning right now to avoid some romaine lettuce, something we don't freeze or heat, usually.
Freezing Food Doesn't Kill E. Coli And Other Germs : The Salt : NPR
Thanks everyone. I don't how that happened. I think I just kept moving it around between freezers when I was defrosting, thinking I'd use it later. Sounds like the safest bet is to toss it.