I'm defrosting my big freezer (ugh) and finding all kinds of goodies I'd forgotten about. One is a turkey that we had from last Thanksgiving (don't ask how I could've forgotten about it. I just did. You know how you see something so often that you just kinda don't see it anymore?) Anyway, it's been frozen since last year, wrapped and packaged, not ever thawed or anything. Can I still use it or is it best not to? My dh's work gives him one each year, so I'll be getting a friend for him soon. We always go out of town for Thanksgiving, which is why I didn't get around to cooking the thing. I hate to throw out so much meat, but a year...? Opinions, please. TIA!

By Emily7 on Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 02:51 pm:

I am not sure about using the old turkey, but one thing we did when we got a turkey from dh's work was donate it to the local food drive. They give out Thanksgiving & Christmas baskets to those that need it & they never have enough turkey or hams. Maybe you could look into that this year.

By Yjja123 on Saturday, October 21, 2006 - 04:26 pm:

Looks like 12 months is acceptable!

Freezer Storage Chart (0 °F)
Note: Freezer storage is for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely.

Item Months
Bacon and Sausage 1 to 2
Casseroles 2 to 3
Egg whites or egg substitutes 12
Frozen Dinners and Entrees 3 to 4
Gravy, meat or poultry 2 to 3
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats 1 to 2
Meat, uncooked roasts 4 to 12
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops 4 to 12
Meat, uncooked ground 3 to 4
Meat, cooked 2 to 3
Poultry, uncooked whole 12
Poultry, uncooked parts 9
Poultry, uncooked giblets 3 to 4
Poultry, cooked 4
Soups and Stews 2 to 3
Wild game, uncooked 8 to 12

By Janet on Monday, October 23, 2006 - 11:35 am:

Well, it's too late for this Tom...he hit the garbage on Saturday. Oh well. I tend to err on the side of caution, and threw out a lot of stuff that looked like it had become one with the freezer. I don't intend for that to happen again!