OT: Old frozen turkey

[Conndog]

We got a fresh 20 pound turkey two years ago, it went immediately into the freezer has has been there ever since. Due to remodeling & COVID, wife and I never cooked it. We can see freezer burn (well, ice crystals anyway) inside the plastic bag.
Could we still thaw out the bird, cook and eat it, without getting sick?

 

[FedupFred]

Deep six it. Frozen turkeys are good for a year.

 

[LoboDays]

Dump everything except the vodka.

 

[tomcat]

Old Frozen Turkey. Sounds like a great nickname for a grumpy friend. I'll have to remember that.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Is it safe to eat a turkey frozen for 2 years?

According to the Butterball Turkey Talk Line, you can keep a turkey stored in the freezer up to two years and it's still safe to cook. ... For the best quality, the USDA recommends using the frozen turkey within the first year of storage.

If it has freezer burn than I would pitch it.

 

[visitingcock]

Quit calling oldude names! He’s a solid poster.

 

[Bigboote]

There is some information missing. If it was vacuum packed and in a non-frost-free freezer, it is absolutely fine. Non-vac-packed in a frost-free freezer, I’d toss it. In between I’d thaw it and evaluate its condition.

 

[Conndog]

Think we will pitch it after all. The freezer is frost-free but the turkey isn't vacuum packed. Too bad, our neighbor who raises the birds charges $4 pound, so it's an $80 turkey, but I don't want to get sick from it.

 

[CL82]

Think we will pitch it after all. The freezer is frost-free but the turkey isn't vacuum packed. Too bad, our neighbor who raises the birds charges $4 pound, so it's an $80 turkey, but I don't want to get sick from it.

You probably won’t, but it won’t be particularly tasty either.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Old Frozen Turkey. Sounds like a great nickname for a grumpy friend. I'll have to remember that.

Or a summertime bourbon product.

 

[TCC Kid]

We got a fresh 20 pound turkey two years ago, it went immediately into the freezer has has been there ever since. Due to remodeling & COVID, wife and I never cooked it. We can see freezer burn (well, ice crystals anyway) inside the plastic bag.
Could we still thaw out the bird, cook and eat it, without getting sick?

I worked with a Uconn group that, experimentally, froze everything and I was fed old chicken ( a few years old) no issues. I was raised in a time and place where I experience starvation so --I don't throw things out until they grow a beard. I use my experiences at Uconn as my excuse for keeping and eating them. If it isn't a big bump on your budget, today, not starving, I'd suggest dumping them. Freezer burn is not great.

 

[TCC Kid]

There is some information missing. If it was vacuum packed and in a non-frost-free freezer, it is absolutely fine. Non-vac-

Think we will pitch it after all. The freezer is frost-free but the turkey isn't vacuum packed. Too bad, our neighbor who raises the birds charges $4 pound, so it's an $80 turkey, but I don't want to get sick from it.

If
packed in a frost-free freezer, I’d toss it. In between I’d thaw it and evaluate its condition.

If you cook it properly, i.e. not under cook under time, you won't get sick except for the thought of eating the freezer burn. Cook it, try it, doesn't taste right, toss it. An Autoclave would do a great job for you (kidding)
It had freezer burn which to me say it wasn't sufficiently packaged/prepared for storage--and not vacuum packed.

 

[and one]

You could opt to cook that big bird (to be clear - not Big Bird) and see if it smells and tastes ok. You'll probably cook it a bit longer than absolutely necessary, just to be sure, which will produce breast meat even drier than usual. The cook it and see option will require thawing that 20lb hunk of frozen protein, which is at least a week of taking up most of your fridge space or throwing it into a sink full of cool water which will have to be changed regularly. If you are diligent it shouldn't take up more than a day of your time.

Or just trash it.

 

[arch]

Toss it in the back yard.
The bear eats the bird.
You eat the bear.

Just a thought.

 

[Bigboote]

If you cook it properly, i.e. not under cook under time, you won't get sick except for the thought of eating the freezer burn. Cook it, try it, doesn't taste right, toss it. An Autoclave would do a great job for you (kidding)
It had freezer burn which to me say it wasn't sufficiently packaged/prepared for storage--and not vacuum packed.

I wasn't talking about getting sick, just taste. I've had chicken (among many other things) that had been in a frost-free fridge not vac-sealed for a year or more, and they had what I can only describe as a yucky taste. Not deer-that-had-been-chased-by-dogs yucky, but very unpleasant.

 

[TCC Kid]

I wasn't talking about getting sick, just taste. I've had chicken (among many other things) that had been in a frost-free fridge not vac-sealed for a year or more, and they had what I can only describe as a yucky taste. Not deer-that-had-been-chased-by-dogs yucky, but very unpleasant.

I actually ate more than a little turkey and chicken frozen by that group at Uconn. Most if not all (memory isn't great) was pretty good. Saylor P. says Uconn wasn't engaging enough for her. It was for me, 8 times, in 84 months. My wife thought it a bit too engaging so we moved on. (kidding, I think)