I have salmon steaks in the freezer which have been there since July – I forgot about them..! Are they still safe to eat?

Good question, I am sure many people will find the answer helpful. Fish frozen at 0°C or lower should keep for up to 10 months, so if you have had your frozen fish for longer, or if your freezer is not operating efficiently or at a low enough temperature then I would unfortunately suggest you throw that sad old frozen fish out! If you keep your freezer running at a constant temeprature then your frozen food should be OK. Click here for more info on storing, defrosting and cooking your frozen foods. Click here for more info on frozen fish or click here to see where your frozen fish comes from. Scientist have released a study suggesting that eating frozen fish is greener than eating fresh fish.

However, home freezers are best for storing already frozen products from the shops rather than for freezing home cooked food. Frozen foods and frozen ready meals from the supermarkets have been flash frozen which a home freezer can not acheive and for this reason they retain the nutrients, texture and colours best. The ingredients in frozen meals and frozen ready meals can be extremely fresh because they are frozen at the point of harvest and this locks in the nutrients. Frozen ready meals can be some of the cheapest quality foods around because none of the ingredients spoil so the manufacturers do not need to charge you for the wastage! It has been estimated that up to 30% of our food is wasted in the UK so we must do all we can to reduce this. Frozen meals and frozen ready meals are have been around for much longer than you might imagine. Indeed the Romans and Ancient Chinese had been freezing their frozen foods in caves filled with snow for thousands of years previously! 

Thank you for your frozen food question. Click here to see where your frozen food comes from.

The New Ice Age Team