best if used by question

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barelynangel -> best if used by question (1/2/2010 7:35:25 AM)
Okay so i am cleaning out my freezer for the new year. I have all these frozen veggies that say -- best if used by September and October 2009. These were veggies that were frozen fresh. So my question is -- are they still good? yeah i know logically no, right? There is probably $100 worth of these veggies, which is why i am asking because i will be going out to rebuy same today if i have to throw them out. New Year Determination-- to eat more at home - hence the going through a kitchen with a whole heck of a lot of expired things [8\|] angel

Rule -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 8:02:25 AM)
My guess is that they are still good.

pahunkboy -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 8:14:44 AM)
Im with rule. If they were improperly frozen the vegies would show were. Assuming there is no mayo type of sauce you should be good.

barelynangel -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 8:18:35 AM)
No the veggies are simply veggie, the sauces are separate. There isn't any freezer burn or anything on them. These are actually full meals that were cooked friesh and frozen into packets. The meats are mixed with sauces though which is why i a going to toss them.

zephyroftheNorth -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 8:21:21 AM)
Assuming they didn't defrost at some point, I would even use the meals with meat in them. At worst you'll have some freezerburn, which going by what you say is not the case. If you are worried, cook the meat until piping hot, but I wouldn't hesitate to eat that food.

pahunkboy -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 8:21:26 AM)
I would throw out the sauces. The vegies I would use. When you cook them up- if they look too soggy- then no. I have used old frozen vegies.... with no problem.

peppermint -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 8:22:27 AM)
In the case of your vegetables I would say they are perfectly safe to use. A company will often put that "best if used by" date on an item because after time the item in the package may deteriorate in some way and the company will not guarantee them after a certain time. In the case of your veggies I would assume that they will lose a bit of their flavor and their texture may not be as nice. However, these changes would be minor and the average person won't notice any difference. Here is what the USDA says about "use by" dates. ""Use-by" dates usually refer to best quality and are not safety dates. But even if the date expires during home storage, a product should be safe, wholesome and of good quality — if handled properly and kept at 40° F or below"

LafayetteLady -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 8:50:57 AM)
Since the stuff was all frozen, it is all fine to eat. As others have said, you might have some freezer burn which could affect the taste, but as far as them being unsafe to eat, they are fine. Think about it this way. If you bought a package of chicken that had a "best if used by" date of say today, you put it in the freezer and then took it out of the freezer on Valentine's day, would you throw it out? Of course not, because it was frozen.

LadyChallene -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 9:55:42 AM)
Angel, If the bag or boxes of vegies were frozen ... not frozen, thawed and refrozen, then the rule is like medicine - good for one year after the expiration date. However, if they have been thawed and refrozen, then they will be a bit gummy, but still good. The worst you have to fear from a frozen veggie out of date is either freezer burn or gummy veggies. Though not the tastiest, they are still fit for consumption. Best wishes, Lady Challene

barelynangel -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 10:14:18 AM)
Thanks everyone for the information. Its been helpful. Actually, i didn't know that about medications, with medications i throw them away if they reach the expiration date. angel

UniqueRaven -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 10:14:59 AM)
"Best if used by" is usually a suggestion - meaning that the food may change color, texture, or lose flavor after that date, but it is generally still safe to eat. "Use by" means it will most likely be bad and unsafe to eat after that date. Typically fresh dairy, meats, etc - things that if they go south can be very icky. i would thaw the veggies and check them out - if they don't smell "off", or look slimy or anything like that, they should be fine. Frozen veggies last a long, long time. Just be aware the nutritional value probably will have declined as well, if that's a big concern. And you can always make a big pot of soup! That's what i do when my frozen veggies start getting old. Throw in a pot a large bottle of veggie tomato juice like V-8 (the juice, not the bottle, ha ha), a packet of ranch style seasoning, some veggie or chicken broth (or just water), and then all the veggies you want to get rid of. i also like to add some fresh cabbage, but that's just me. Yummy stuff, especially when it's cold out and you have some good bread..... *edited because i'm bad with directions at times.

honeygirl -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 10:18:03 AM)
Here's a site that has a very useful chart (there are other, similar ones; this one had a lot more items than a bunch of others I'd seen): http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/348/348-960/348-960.html Here's one (found via usda.gov) that allows you to type in the name of the food to get info on storage: http://www.fmi.org/consumer/foodkeeper/?fuseaction=main Hope that helps!

Wolf2Bear -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 10:34:53 AM)
Chances are the frozen veggies are still good to eat though probably best to use in stews, soups and casseroles at this point. Frozen veggies and any other food that is frozen will lose flavor and moisture the longer they are frozen.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 3:01:06 PM)
You can also expect a loss of potency of some of the vitamins. As long as the vegetables have never been allowed to thaw, most vitamins should still be fine, but others (such as vitamin A) will degrade over time, no matter how well-preserved. No reason not to eat the vegetables, of course; the effect would be minimal. It's just not going to be exactly the same as fresher vegetables.

stella41b -> RE: best if used by question (1/2/2010 3:27:22 PM)
I don't think that - apart from raw fish and meat - any item even a month past its 'use by' date would be unsafe to eat, as long as it's kept frozen. I can even remember when I was homeless and eating stuff out of the plastic bins behind supermarkets and even when the frozen stuff had thawed out days before it was still safe to eat. Some of this stuff was weeks past its 'use by' date. Somehow I don't see food companies taking that risk of making their products too perishable.

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