u have a tub of butter expiring 9/5. u freeze it and thaw for use 12/5. how do u no how long it is good for?

Question

this is just an example. The question goes to any product (OJ, Milk, etc) that is frozen beyond the exp. date and then thawed and used. How do we know the shelf life after the exp. date?

Answer 1

the question can't go for "any" product. some products have an expiration date that you must heed, even if freezing. some items, like butter, are usually fine three months later when frozen.

Answer 2

Freezing stops any further deterioration. Thus when you thaw it, you begin counting all over again. But expiration dates differ. Some are "sell by" dates and others are "use by" dates. Check the details. Also, most of those dates are very conservative. I've taken 3-year-old meats from my freezer that, as long as they were well wrapped and sealed, were as good as the day they went in. Milk has stayed good in my refrigerator for a month after its expiration date - unusual but possible.

Here's another example: I live alone and it takes me a long time to get through a pound of bacon. So when I bring it home, I cut it in half and feeze each half separately. I'll take out a package, partially thaw it in the microwave, remove 2-3 slices, and re-freeze it. Over and over again. Doesn't do a bit of harm.

We Americans tend to be overly concerned about the wrong things when it comes to food safety. Foods are good until they begin to smell funny or grow mold. Our sense of taste is a pretty reliable indicator of food gone bad. On the other hand, we take for granted that our meats are contaminated and our produce sprayed with carcinogens. Why are we silent on the issues that really matter?

Answer 3

If the product was frozen past the expiration date & you thawed it for use, it is probably still good enough to use up now. Do not keep it for very long. It may have developed "off" flavor but it is not spoiled unless it was bad when you froze it. Butter is bad about picking up flavors from other stuff or even just the freezer or fridge.

Answer 4

Usually, if it has been frozen, it won't hurt you to eat it...it just affects the quality (i.e. meat in the freezer too long gets freezer burn). In the case of butter...it will absorb undesirable odors if it has been kept in the fridge or freezer too long unless it was packaged real well. Once it has been unfrozen, it should be used within a couple of days if it is meat, and if it is butter it will last longer but the taste may be a little off. ***This is all assuming you froze the product while it was still fresh and not past the expiration date!!!

Answer 5

Take the square root of 9/5 and multiply that answer by 12/5. Then divide the whole thing by frozenfood.com minus expiration date. That should do it.

Answer 6

Different foods have varying frozen shelf life. If I buy fresh salmon, for example, I cut it into fillets, wrap each in plastic wrap and then put in a freezer storage bag, One month is as long as I keep it frozen. Beef--same process--but I use it up by three months. Butter--same wrapping process (for a one lb box) and I use it up before three months.

Answer 7

on 12/5 it will have been expired for 3 months. it is no longer good.

Answer 8

you are a sick and very very twisted freak