I was defrosting my chest freezer the other day and I noticed a frozen turkey that has been there for about 5 or 6 years.. It remained frozen all this time.. It is vacuum packed as most frozen turkeys are.. it is about 12 or so pounds.. I was wondering if the turkey is still good to eat??
I've read that you can keep turkey deep frozen indefinitely and it will still be safe to eat..although the quality won't be as good...so probably best to cook it into casseroles etc.. That said, I've also read recommendations of not storing it for more than a year. I have to say Steve, you must have one heckava big freezer if you haven't noticed a 12 pound turkey at the bottom of your freezer for 5 years... In essence I would think that the turkey as long as it's been stored in the deep freeze at the right temp will still be perfectly good to eat even after all these years...
After two years, throw it out. If you haven't eaten it in five years, and are craving turkey...buy another one! Life's too short to die that way! Butterball FAQ
There's only one way to determine if it's still edible.....cook it up and find out.....and let us know
@Steve North I'd eat it. But only knowing that the internal temperature taken deep within, but not close to bone, reached 180` F. or higher. Frank
Actually it is a Butterball and according to the site that was posted by Joe, I should throw it out which I will do in the spring.. I will thaw it and throw it into the forest in front of our house and let the wild animals have a feast......
Once frozen and never thawed it should be good forever. Worrying is unhealthy though so if you are worried about eating it throw it out. The animals that eat it won't worry about it.
http://ochef.com/850.htm @Steve North You've probably already thrown that turkey out for the wild animals...but I think you might get a kick out of this article I've linked. They were just waiting for someone with a 5 year frozen turkey....
The turkey is still in the freezer and it will stay there till the weather warms up and the wild animals come out of hibernation.. It is still way too early to thaw the turkey.. It is still very much winter up here and will be till early May..