Can You Still Eat Frozen Food With Freezer Burn?

Freezer burn is when air comes into contact with the surface of frozen food, drying out the food. Freezer burn doesn't make foods unsafe, just unappetizing.

Everyone has the experience of opening their freezer only to discover that the food they want to use has freezer burn. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) meat and poultry hotline gets thousands of calls each year about the safety of frozen food — including foods with freezer burn. 

Luckily, freezer burn is more of a food quality issue than a food safety issue, meaning that your food is still safe to eat even if it has freezer burn. But the taste and texture will likely be affected. 

Freezer burn is when air comes into contact with the surface of frozen food, drying out the food. It can form on pretty much anything in your freezer, including the following: 

• Red meat
• Poultry
• Fruits
• Vegetables 

Freezer burn typically only forms in certain spots on your food based on variations in air circulation. Over time, more freezer burn will form. 

Freezer burn can change both the color and texture of your frozen foods. The spots where it forms look brownish or grayish. These areas can also appear leathery, which indicates toughening of the texture.  

Freezer burn can affect additional features of your food, including the following characteristics that make eating enjoyable:

• Flavor
• Aroma — or scent
• Juiciness   

The more freezer burn your food has, the less flavor, aroma, and moisture remains. 

Freezer burn doesn’t make foods unsafe, just unappetizing. As long as the food was safe to eat when it was frozen, it should remain safe to eat while it is in the freezer. You can leave foods in the freezer indefinitely, and they’ll still be safe to eat. But you likely won’t want to eat them if there’s too much freezer burn. 

Freezers don’t kill most microorganisms, like bacteria, mold, and viruses, but microorganisms can’t grow at zero degrees Fahrenheit — the standard temperature for a home freezer. Microorganisms that cause foodborne illnesses include these common bacteria: 

• Salmonella
• E. coli
• C. botulinum — which causes botulism

Your food should even stay safe if a tear forms in its packaging. Just make sure to re-wrap the food as soon as possible to maintain the quality.  

The time it takes for freezer burn to develop depends primarily on the type of food and how it’s packaged for freezing. The more exposed the food is, the faster that freezer burn will form. 

Uncooked meats tend to last longer in the freezer than cooked meats because the cooking process removes moisture. Freezer burn starts when the food’s moisture level is gone. 

Otherwise, the USDA has general recommendations for how long food can maintain its quality in the freezer. Examples include: 

• One to two months for breakfast meats like sausage and bacon
• Two to three months for a casserole
• Three to four months for pre-packaged commercial frozen meals
• One to two months for lunchmeats
• Four to 12 months for uncooked steaks
• Nine to 12 months for poultry — whole birds last longer than pieces
• Two to three months for soups and stews  

You should store food in your freezer as soon as possible after you realize that you won’t be using it for a while. Make sure you freeze it before it goes bad. 

Fresher food freezes better than older food because fresher foods maintain quality longer. 

When you thaw the food, it will be at about the same freshness it was when frozen. If food was close to going bad before you put it in the freezer, it remains in the same condition when thawed.  

Also, ensure that you put frozen foods away immediately after a trip to the grocery store. If foods remain out for too long, they could become a health hazard. Cold foods shouldn’t be out of the fridge or freezer for more than two hours. 

Remember that you can re-freeze foods that you have previously frozen, but re-freezing may impact the quality. You can also freeze cooked foods prepared from previously frozen ingredients. 

Always properly package your frozen foods to prevent food waste due to freezer burn. If you’re using freezer bags, remove as much air as possible. When storing leftovers, ensure your container is air-tight. Extra air allows freezer burn to form faster. 

Make sure to label your packages and bags with the date before storing them in your freezer. By noting the freezing date, you know how long the food has been frozen and can use older foods first — before freezer burn has a chance to form. 

You may also find it helpful to rotate the food in your freezer, so newer foods end up in the back, and older ones are in the front. This practice helps you remember what you have and the fact that you need to use it. 

It’s also best to freeze food as quickly as possible, which keeps large ice crystals from forming. Large ice crystals can severely lower the quality of your frozen foods when you’re thawing them. Spread out foods when you freeze them to make the process go faster. You can stack them up to make more room once the food has frozen. 

Check your foods periodically for signs that freezer burn has started to form. You can re-package these foods to protect the rest of the product. 

You can cut off the parts of the food with freezer burn and use the rest of the food as you would typically use it. You can do this either before or after you cook the food. 

Unfortunately, you may have to throw your food away if there’s too much freezer burn. The quality of your food can eventually become so bad that it’s not worth eating. You’ll need to judge each food on a case-by-case basis. 

Once safely frozen, you do not want to ruin your foods with unsafe thawing practices. In particular, you should never leave meats out at room temperature to thaw. 

The only safe ways to thaw foods are: 

• In your refrigerator
• In a bowl of cold water — as long as you regularly replace the water
• In the microwave

Unless using a microwave, expect it to take at least a day for a fully frozen piece of meat or other thick items to thaw. A good rule of thumb is to give yourself about one day for every five pounds that need to thaw.