Is freezer burn on chicken safe to eat? You might have been left asking yourself this if you’ve encountered signs of freezer burn on your chicken. Even the best freezers can leave your meat with freezer burn if its been left in there for too long or has accidentally been left uncovered.
There’s no question that freezer burn can be a nuisance, changing the appearance of meat that was fresh when frozen. We’ve asked our food safety expert for her advice on how to spot it – as well as asking, is freezer burn on chicken safe to eat?
Christina Ratcliffe is the Managing Director of The Food Safety Company, a business that provides food safety consultancy services to food and beverage businesses. Having spent 25 years as a government food inspector she now uses this expert knowledge to run The Food Safety Company, giving expert advice to businesses in order to ensure that they are fully compliant with food safety and achieve top food hygiene scores.
In her capacity as a food safety expert, Christina helps to advise on best practice for professional food businesses. This includes the correct way to store and prepare food professionally, including meats such as chicken. Here she helps us understand how to spot freezer burn on your frozen chicken and answers: is freezer burn on chicken safe to eat?
Meat and other foods with freezer burn are still safe to eat. Freezer burn draws out moisture and flavor. This affects the quality. but not the safety of food.
Signs of freezer burn on chicken
1. White or whitish gray areas 2. Opaque color 3. Ice crystals forming on it
Spotting freezer burn on chicken
Despite the name ‘freezer burn’ the food doesn’t exactly resemble chicken burned using heat. The burn is colloquial reference to the fact that like when charred, the chicken suffers from dehydration, losing moisture and visually shriveling.
Christina explains how this happens and what to look out for on chicken stored in the freezer, “Freezer burn happens when food is frozen for a long time or food is not packaged properly so the cold air gets to the food and causes drying of the food and lead to changes in texture and flavor. This can be seen clearly when frozen raw chicken turns white and opaque or when food has lots of ice crystals on it.”
Freezer Burned Chicken: Is it Safe? Here is How to Eat & Prevent it!
FAQ
Is frosted chicken safe to eat?
Is meat with freezer burn safe to eat?
Is frozen chicken with ice crystals still good?
What happens if a chicken gets frostbitten?
Subsequently, the frostbitten comb, wattles, or toes will swell, and within a day or so may begin to blister. Severe frostbite results in blackening of comb tips, edges of the wattles, or patches on feet. The affected chicken may lose interest in eating and other normal activities, indicating the bird is in pain.
Does eating chicken cause inflammation?
Consuming chicken combined with a balanced and healthy diet does not cause inflammation. The development of inflammation related to chicken consumption can be caused by the consumption of fried chicken, chicken with artificial seasonings, ultra-processed chicken preparations and chickens treated with antibiotics and/or hormones to accelerate growth. Therefore, it is important to prefer to consume chicken seasoned with natural seasonings, cooked, roasted, grilled and preferably organic.
Is chicken frostbite serious?
Chicken frostbite is a serious condition, and can cause serious infection, leading to gangrene and loss of limbs if not treated. The area of frostbite will turn black, may swell and there will be a noticeable lameness in those chickens that are affected. If bad enough those limbs will either fall off or need to be amputated.
Can frozen chickens get frostbite?
After a short period of having been frozen, the affected part may recover. If the part does not soon thaw, the cells may die and perhaps become infected. Further, a bloody comb or wattles resulting from frostbite may attract pecking by other chickens. So it pays to recognize the signs of frostbite and initiate timely treatment.