Frozen Food

[hammerman]

Everytime I defrost the freezer and go through the contents, I end up putting most of it back because "I might use that one day"

However, some of the things in there must be years old....5 years? maybe longer. I'm talking vegetables, fish, ready meals....the lot really. It's all sealed and from Tesco etc. I've got a bag of unopened whitebait that must be 5 years old.

Would you keep them....i'd be throwing an awful lot of stuff away if I can't use it all.

Yours embarrassingly, HM

[RATTER15]

Throw the lot, food cannot be kept indefinitely just because its frozen, just freeze what you are going to eat in the next few months.

[Old_Geezer]

I'd make a point of using them. They're going to be edible but maybe less tasty/nutritious. Cycle the food, first in first out; websearch recipes to use up what you have.

[Cloverjo]

I'm the same. I hate wasting food, so wouldn't want to throw it away. I wouldn't use it to feed other people, though. I'd slowly get through it by having my own meals from it.
If anything looks or smells a bit weird when defrosted, throw it away.

[roopower]

I'm a bit obsessive, but I have a book in which I write the date that everything I freeze needs using, as I put it in the freezer. I also go through the book at the beginning of each month and hilitthings that need using that month.
I'm not sure about what you have in your freezer, tend to go with Cloverjo, if it looks, smells or tastes wrong when defrosted, throw it away. Five years does seem excessive. You could look on ready meals and see when the useby date is, that would give you an indication of when the item went in the freezer.

[losgigs]

HM - you've just got to be strict with yourself! I did mine yesterday to clear space for fruit from the garden which will be coming through soon. Similar to the wardrobe rule - if you haven't worn it in 2 years (apart from maybe funeral suit!) then throw it out. I have used frozen food that is more than 2 years old, whicht didn't look great but tasted ok. Be ruthless, throw out the old stuff and make room for new bargains!