Question about a turkey

Well you see, I have this confession to make. In my freezer is a whole turkey weighing 10-12 pounds. I bought it in December 2012. The sell date says sell by May 13, 2013. This turkey came home from the grocery store and went directly into my freezer. It never sat in the fridge once I bought it. Now I don't remember if it was fresh or frozen at the store. Anyway my question is would this turkey be safe now to cook and eat it. Just wondering about some other opinions.

Whether bought frozen or fresh I doubt it would be safe: I don't think poultry has a use by date longer than a couple of months after you buy it  / home freeze it. Whether that's any different if you have a huge freezer that stays below something like - 25 degrees Celsius though, I don't know.  I know I wouldn't eat it! 

This says that whole poultry can be frozen for a year and still retain quality, but that "frozen foods remain safe indefinitely": http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html

So safety shouldn't be a concern but it might taste a little freezer-y.

Willowy said:

This says that whole poultry can be frozen for a year and still retain quality, but that "frozen foods remain safe indefinitely": http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html

So safety shouldn't be a concern but it might taste a little freezer-y.

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I'd try it!  I always inject mine anyway so flavor shouldn't be a problem.  If you've never injected before, this might be a good time to try it!  Or a brine.

I'd use it. If you don't want to roast it, you could use it for soup or stew. But I'd go ahead and roast it. It's just a little over a year old and since you put it right in your freezer, I don't think it's a food safety issue. I'd go for it. 

I guess I can see how it looks when the plastic wrapper comes off. I inspected it and there are no holes, so maybe it is not freezer burned.

peaches08 said:

I'd try it!  I always inject mine anyway so flavor shouldn't be a problem.  If you've never injected before, this might be a good time to try it!  Or a brine.

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No I have never done a brine or injected the bird. Maybe you can explain that a bit more

Normally I would say don't use it but supermarket turkeys are usually packed in some serious plastic which doesn't tear easy, is pretty tightly wrapped and should therefore, prevent freezer burn. I'd just give it a good sniff first and make sure it hasn't been affected by temperature fluctuations (a refrigerator freezer isn't quite as even as a chest type freezer).

I think the longest I kept anything in the freezer was about 6 months.  I do know anything not shrink wrapped professionally winds up getting freezer burnt after a short while in any refrigerator freezer I've had no matter how good they were/are.

Let us know how it goes.  I'm curious.

blueyedgirl5946 said:

No I have never done a brine or injected the bird. Maybe you can explain that a bit more

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I've only ever done 1 brine, so I'm not a brine expert.  There are lots of recipes online though.  I prefer injecting because I can guarantee that the flavor got all the way into the meat.  I use this:  http://www.cajuninjector.com/product/cajun-injector-creole-butter-injectable-marinade-with-injector/.  It's easily found in most grocery stores and Wal-Mart.  Probably going to find it near BBQ, spices/seasonings, or even near the cooking oils/Pam. 

The marinade comes with instructions and is really easy to do.  Rinse/dry your bird.  Shake jar of marinade then open.  Take a good look at the needle on that syringe, you'll see it has openings in several places.  Suck up marinade in syringe, then inject turkey.  I only inject the breast since I only like white meat as far as roasted meat.  But I save that carcass and dark meat for making turkey frame soup later.  I froze my Christmas caracass/meat until New Year's and thank goodness I did!  I came down with the crud and was literally splinting my throat with my hands to cough because it hurt so badly.  Turkey soup sure soothed it!

peaches08 said:

I've only ever done 1 brine, so I'm not a brine expert.  There are lots of recipes online though.  I prefer injecting because I can guarantee that the flavor got all the way into the meat.  I use this:  http://www.cajuninjector.com/product/cajun-injector-creole-butter-injectable-marinade-with-injector/.  It's easily found in most grocery stores and Wal-Mart.  Probably going to find it near BBQ, spices/seasonings, or even near the cooking oils/Pam. 

The marinade comes with instructions and is really easy to do.  Rinse/dry your bird.  Shake jar of marinade then open.  Take a good look at the needle on that syringe, you'll see it has openings in several places.  Suck up marinade in syringe, then inject turkey.  I only inject the breast since I only like white meat as far as roasted meat.  But I save that carcass and dark meat for making turkey frame soup later.  I froze my Christmas caracass/meat until New Year's and thank goodness I did!  I came down with the crud and was literally splinting my throat with my hands to cough because it hurt so badly.  Turkey soup sure soothed it!

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I get scared when I see the creole word because it makes me think hot and spicy.

blueyedgirl5946 said:

I get scared when I see the creole word because it makes me think hot and spicy.

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It's not really hot to me, but yes there is spice in it that would bother folks who do not do spicey. You could just get an injector from somewhere and make your own marinade.

Only a year?  LOL

It's fine so long as your freezer didn't thaw out in between and refreeze. 

I have a chicken and a roast in my freezer going on 2 years. I just haven't felt like unthawing them to cook.  They look absolutely fine. No freezer burn. 

I actually plan on doing the roast in a few weeks to make frozen dinners for myself.

    It must be my strict training at school when I had to study food hygiene !  I am such a whimp when it comes to out of date and stored food. 

peaches08 said:

It's not really hot to me, but yes there is spice in it that would bother folks who do not do spicey. You could just get an injector from somewhere and make your own marinade.

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I would be totally lost knowing how to do it. I have only eaten roasted in the oven turkey and fried turkey, which I didn't like.

MServant said:

 

    It must be my strict training at school when I had to study food hygiene !  I am such a whimp when it comes to out of date and stored food. 

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I have to say again normally I'd chuck it out lol.  My brother-in-law was a health inspector his whole career and taught my family a lot of good info along the way.  I would still be VERY cautious about using a year old frozen turkey, and knowing me, probably would notice some quality degradation but, in this instance I think it may be fine.

Your mileage may vary as they say 

After reading a blog post from my university's student health center that basically said "sell by" and "use by" dates are really conservative and can generally be ignored so long as food hasn't changed color, turned in odor, or started growing limbs, I'm much less concerned about what to eat out of my fridge and freezer. So long as it looks and smells fine, you're probably good to use it.

LaraLove said:

 
After reading a blog post from my university's student health center that basically said "sell by" and "use by" dates are really conservative and can generally be ignored so long as food hasn't changed color, turned in odor, or started growing limbs, I'm much less concerned about what to eat out of my fridge and freezer. So long as it looks and smells fine, you're probably good to use it.

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I agree.  I had a small 5.5 lb. turket breast in the freezer for almost a year, & it was fine.  I think as long as it's wraped well & frozen it's okay.  (I took it over for my dad to fry on Thanksgiving to bring home).

Use your senses.

If it looks ok, smells ok, and tastes ok, then it's ok.

But if any of those 3 are off, don't eat it.

For example, a dozen eggs will last me months in my fridge, unless I bake. It's not uncommon for me to have eggs in my fridge with a "best before" date that is 4 to 6 months long past. Same with condiments, and even yogurt. I'm currently using yogurt (small single serving containers) that have a "best before" date from October 2013.

Best before doesn't mean "expires", it simply means that it's at the top of it's freshness before a certain date.  Going beyond that date doesn't make it inedible.  Phone up any Health Department and check for yourself.  So long as something is properly frozen or kept cold, and it looks good, smells good, and tastes good, it's safe to eat.

So you have a 10 / 12 pound turkey in the freezer. That's a lot of meat. Are you going to have a party and invite friends and family to help you eat it up? If not, here's what I'd suggest.

Thaw it in the refrigerator, which will take a few days. When thawed but still icy - Take the breast meat off the bone. Disjoint the legs. Make turkey carcass soup stock from the frame and wings. Roast one breast half and enjoy. Use leftover for - turkey pot pie (freeze extras by lining pot pie container with plastic wrap. Fill with cooled pot pie mixture. Freeze. Remove from container, double wrap, label and return to freezer. If topping with dumplings, make fresh dumplings when thawing & re-heating.) Make turkey tetrazzini. Freeze extra. You get the idea.

Cut up other half breast into small dice and make turkey / white bean chili. Freeze extra in portion size containers.

Braise the legs (brown thighs and drumsticks, set aside. Saute some carrots, in chunks, chopped celery and onion. Return thighs to pan, add a splash of wine, a little of your home made stock. Cover tightly and cook in a slow oven until tender. Great winter meal. Cut meat off bone in large chunks. Freeze in portion size containers, covering meat with braising liquid. If insufficient, combine braising liquid with stock.

With remaining stock make turkey noodle vegetable soup. Yummy!

Label all packages with date. Make a note page on paper or in your computer with several columns - what you made, how many containers of each, use by date, and a column where you can indicate what's been used. Name of Contents / In / Out / Use By

You have so much good eating ahead of you! (And of course, tidbits for the puss cats too.)

Natalie_ca said:

Use your senses.


If it looks ok, smells ok, and tastes ok, then it's ok.


But if any of those 3 are off, don't eat it.

For example, a dozen eggs will last me months in my fridge, unless I bake. It's not uncommon for me to have eggs in my fridge with a "best before" date that is 4 to 6 months long past. Same with condiments, and even yogurt. I'm currently using yogurt (small single serving containers) that have a "best before" date from October 2013.


Best before doesn't mean "expires", it simply means that it's at the top of it's freshness before a certain date.  Going beyond that date doesn't make it inedible.  Phone up any Health Department and check for yourself.  So long as something is properly frozen or kept cold, and it looks good, smells good, and tastes good, it's safe to eat.

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That is what I was thinking. When I thaw it, I will look it over good and smell it. If it passes those tests, I will cook it. I am not really creative with a turkey. I have only baked them in the oven in a roasting pan.