My local stores for some odd reason sells chicken legs for about 1.5 EUR per kg, they are not old products according to the packages. I have made a lot of chicken soup lately but I am starting to get enough. If I buy it a lot and freezes it, how long does it last and which factors do I need to consider with frozen meat? I had lately one package 2 days old and I just moved it to fridge because I cannot consume too much meat.
Please, suppose I have a large freezing box empty, I am not worried about space. Suppose that I am freezing my chicken for future chicken soups.
Related questions
- I am more interested in whether the chicken may become bad or something like that and how should I process it differently to non-freezed chicken? Question here.
- Does the chicken change over time and how long is it wise to have the chicken frozen? Like does the nutritional profile of chicken change? The fats will surely go bad (not verified) but are there some other factors? Because of fat spoiling, is it better idea to freeze non-fatty parts of meat? Question here.
Best Answer
I suggest you read the transcript to the Good Eats show on freezing, or, better yet, find a copy of the episode to watch. (Good Eats is an American TV show focusing on food science.) Here are some relevant excerpts:
Therefore, if you are buying the meat fresh (i.e., it is not already frozen), then you need to take special care in how you freeze it:
The episode goes on to describe a process for freezing meats at home (basically, the idea is to use small pieces of meat, freeze them separately on a sheet tray, and then once they are frozen transfer them to a bag for long-term storage).
Even though the meat will technically be safe to eat for years, there are a few caveats. For one thing, the environment in the freezer is very dry. That can cause moisture on the surface of the meats to sublimate and form ice crystals, otherwise known as freezer burn. This can be avoided by packaging the meat in a vacuum (e.g., vacuum sealed bags), however, if you don't have a good vacuum sealer, I would suggest limiting their freezing to 6 or 8 months in order to avoid freezer burn. Another reason to make sure you use an air-tight container is that fats are very good at picking up flavors of other items you might have in the freezer.
I am fairly certain the "fats will surely go bad" claim is a myth, especially since fat alone is a good preservative. Perhaps you should ask that question on Skeptics.SE.