Is this a good idea?

[bramble]

While going through the freezer yesterday i found the half ham i had frozen 16 months ago. Could i still use this or should I throw it out? By the way, it was uncooked.

[Scarlet]

I wouldn't hesitate to use it. The texture and colour may start to deteriorate if frozen for longer than the specified time but it should be fine to eat.

[rustylady]

Use it, or send it to me

[Patchninja]

Don't think I'd eat it, but before chucking it I'd defrost it and have a good sniff. Pork doesn't have a very long freezer life as far as I know.

[rustylady]

Food doesn't go "off" when it's frozen. It stays exactly the same as when it was put in the freezer. If not well wrapped it may develop "freezer burn" and dry out a bit.

[chefgage]

Food doesn't go "off" when it's frozen. It stays exactly the same as when it was put in the freezer. If not well wrapped it may develop "freezer burn" and dry out a bit.

i would say that depends of the temperature it is being frozen at

[Olorin2001]

They say that red meat is bad for you but in my experience only green and furry meat is not good to eat. I would happily test it for you. ???????????

[Nicos]

I started shocking myself after goooogling shelf life of various foods

But-different sites say vastly different things.
And then I remembered that there is a demand for glacial frozen mammoth meat!
hmmm...that makes you think again doesn't it????

Personally I'd eat the ham- just make sure it's well cooked. The one think I'd be very cautious of though would be shellfish frozen for a long time.

[bramble]

Thank you all, I think we will be eating it.
If you dont hear from me...........

[Scarlet]

I'll pop round and join you - I could do with a holiday!

[Feral007]

I can only tell you that breast milk is said to be fine if frozen in the coldest section of a two door fridge/freezer, freezer for 3 months. If frozen in a chest freezer, coldest section, for 6 months.

Just get some slippery elm bark powder to have handy in case 16 months was a bit long!
Actually I'd be more interested in it's life BEFORE freezing. Obviously summer temps here are pretty high, so if we don't take an esky with ice to shop, then I wouldn't freeze any meat.

[arpoet]

Years ago, I managed a small supermarket that Fine Fare had taken over in the Black Country. The aging freezer was always going wrong and all the contents needed condemning so a call to the local health inspector was needed.
I listed it all down and he came to write the 'Unfit' notice. He then snaffled up all the raw meat products and sent a van for the veg and pastry stuff, etc. He told me that he refroze all the meat and used it for his own use.
Since then I have had no problems with refreezing raw meat or using stuff that that I find in the buried in the freezer. As long as it smells ok when thawed out, it should be fine.
Roger

[Nicos]

I can only tell you that breast milk is said to be fine if frozen in the coldest section of a two door fridge/freezer, freezer for 3 months. If frozen in a chest freezer, coldest section, for 6 months.

.

Te he....that's a Trivial Pursuits sort of question/answer!!!!!

[Feral007]

I'm a midwife, what do you expect? Rocket science?