How Long Will Ground Beef Keep Frozen

How Long Tin can You Safely Shop Footing Beef in the Freezer?

Information technology's longer than yous think—merely that doesn't mean you should be eating it.

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Say you're making meatloaf for an impromptu get-together and you lot need ground beef. You don't have fourth dimension to run to the grocery store, but you remember that in that location are several pounds stashed in your freezer.

You pull out the ground beef, and realize that y'all forgot to label and date it. You lot have no idea how old it is. What practise you lot do? Presume the ground beefiness is probably fine, or throw information technology out just to be safe?

Eating healthy should all the same be delicious.

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Foodborne illness is no joke. And with the about contempo ground beef recall—which involved two.1 one thousand thousand pounds due to salmonella concerns—fresh on our minds, post-obit safe handling practices is more than of import than ever right at present.

Ideally, you lot should ever label and date any nutrient that you programme to freeze. But if you run across something that doesn't accept a date, you may exist surprised to know that this doesn't necessarily mean it'due south unsafe to eat.

More Food Recollect News:

• Recalled Ground Beef Linked to E. coli Outbreak Sold at Target, Aldi, Sam's Club
• Romaine Eastward. coli Update: FDA Pinpoints Source, Says Outbreak Isn't Over Yet
• 91,000 Pounds of Ground Turkey Recalled Due to Potential Salmonella Contamination

What's far more important is the temperature of your freezer. In order to effectively impale any bacteria, yeast, or mold, your freezer must be fix to 0°F or colder. With that said, as long equally nutrient is continuously stored at 0°F or colder, information technology will always be safe to eat.

In fact, the main result for properly frozen food is freshness and quality. Co-ordinate to the FDA's freezer storage guidelines, the optimal storage time for frozen footing beef is 3 to 4 months. The aforementioned goes for any type of ground meat, including hamburger meat and ground turkey, pork, veal, or chicken.

So, to respond the original question—yeah, y'all technically can melt and eat the footing beef that'southward been sitting in your freezer, but that doesn't mean that you should. Instead, learn the signs that your ground beef may exist past its prime and then you'll be able to tell if the flavor and texture take been compromised. According to the USDA's Freezing and Nutrient Rubber guide, three potential signs to await for are freezer burn, color changes, and ice crystals.

With that said, don't risk serving your dinner guests subpar meatloaf. If you're worried, toss it out and order pizza instead. But the next time y'all purchase fresh ground beef, keep in heed that you lot tin safely store it in the refrigerator for 1 to two days. If you aren't certain y'all'll use it within that fourth dimension frame, it's best to go ahead and freeze it.

Footing Beef Freezing Tips

• Always characterization ground beef with the date and weight before freezing. Freeze large quantities of ground beef in half-pound or one-pound portions so you lot can defrost the exact amount you need.
• Cheque the temperature of your freezer periodically to ensure that it'southward set to 0°F or colder. (If you don't own a freezer thermometer, yous can club ane from Amazon.)
• To prevent freezer burn, wrap the basis beef in wax newspaper or freezer paper.
• The safest fashion to thaw frozen ground beef is in the refrigerator. Never go out it on the countertop to thaw every bit this exposes it to the danger zone (40°F to 140°F), the temperature range where bacteria can grow. Cook or refreeze the beef within 1 to ii days.
• If you lose power, avoid opening the freezer door. Depending on how full your freezer is, frozen food lasts for 1 to 2 days (as long as the door stays closed.)

Lastly, stay up to date on food recalls by subscribing to the Food Safety and Inspection Service'due south email alerts. For big recalls similar the contempo ground beef one, get into the habit of double-checking your freezer for the afflicted food, as this is an like shooting fish in a barrel place to overlook.

For more data on condom handling practices for raw and frozen ground beef, check out the USDA's Ground Beefiness and Nutrient Safety page.

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Source: https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/how-long-can-you-freeze-ground-beef

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