Is Freezer-Burned Food Safe? Plus, How to Salvage It

Have you ever reached into your freezer for leftovers to defrost for dinner only to find that your meat has dry, grayish spots on it and your veggies are coated in ice crystals?

Freezer burn may not look appealing, and you might wonder whether it makes your food unsafe to eat. The good news: Your food should generally still be safe.

Learn what experts have to say about why freezer burn happens, why these foods are usually safe to consume, and the best way to use them.

“What’s first important to know is what freezer burn is exactly,” says Los Angeles–based food safety expert Jeff Nelken, RD.

Sometimes freezer burn might look like a collection of fluffy ice crystals: “As the water molecules disappear, it turns into this cotton-candy-like texture, which happens as you lose the moisture,” Nelken says.

This is true of produce, too, even though it may look damaged or have an off texture. “Produce with freezer burn, if used directly or properly thawed, may have very noticeable loss of eating quality but is safe to consume,” says Trevor Suslow, PhD, a professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis, who’s based in West Linn, Oregon.

• The best method of thawing is to keep the food in the refrigerator, then cook within two or three days of thawing.
• You can also thaw food in cold water on the counter but only if it’ll be out for fewer than four hours and you change the water every 30 minutes to keep the temperature low.
• Thawing food in a microwave is acceptable if you plan to consume the food immediately. But make sure that all parts of the food have been evenly heated.
• Some foods can be thawed as you cook them. Just check the internal temperature while cooking to make sure that the food is hot enough to safely consume. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a handy chart so you can reference the required temperature for whatever you’re cooking.

Using berries in a smoothie, for example, is one of the best ways to address the negative effects on their texture and taste, he says. “Blending freezer-burned fruit with some other source of liquid should remove any issues of enjoyable use of the product,” he says. For extra flavor, you can add warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom to your smoothie.

Nelken says that freezer burn “can dull the natural flavor in a food, so I recommend incorporating herbs and broths to give it new flavor.” He recommends cooking freezer-burned food on the stove and using either a miso broth or a chicken broth to add flavor.

If you’re dealing with a food that doesn’t lend itself to being cooked in a liquid, Nelken advises making good use of your pantry spices. “The only pantry spice I wouldn’t use to rehab freezer-burned food is salt, because some frozen foods are already high in salt,” he says. Lemon or lime juice can brighten the flavor profile of most freezer burned foods, he adds.

To prevent freezer burn from coming back in the future, you can take a few steps to ensure that your food is packaged properly and you reduce the chance of ice crystals forming.

• Freezer burn occurs when water molecules in frozen foods form ice crystals, resulting in dehydration and potential changes in texture and flavor.
• Freezer burn does not make the food unsafe to eat.
• Small affected areas can be trimmed away for normal use, and spices or broths can enhance flavor and texture.
• Freezer-safe containers and bags help prevent freezer burn, and adjusting your freezer to 0 degrees F or lower can help ensure the integrity of stored foods.