How Long Can You Freeze Ground Turkey?
Ground turkey can be frozen for up to 3 months and still maintain good quality. To freeze ground turkey, divide it into smaller portions, if desired, and place it in a zip-top bag or airtight container. Squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing the bag or container, to prevent freezer burn.
To prevent this problem, be sure to use your frozen turkey within 4 months after it is been frozen, so that you will not end up with bland, underwhelming dinners when it comes time to use the saved meat. It is so important that you properly cook your ground turkey before freezing, so the ground turkey maintains good quality in the freezer, and that it does not develop freezer burn during the 4 months that you have to use it. Ground turkey meat is freezer-friendly, and it will maintain its best quality if you keep the time it spends in the freezer below 3-4 months. As long as you keep your Ground Turkey properly and safely stored, you can expect the meat to last for months, giving you plenty of time to cycle it into your diet, and saving you money while doing so.
After about 3-6 months, the quality and freshness of your Ground Turkey shipment starts to diminish–you still can consume it safely, however. If Your Turkey was Good When You Freeze your Turkey (and You Defrost It Right- More on this below), you should be able to eat it at any time after freezing, be that two months later or two years later. While ground frozen turkey is best used up by four months, it will still be safe to eat past that time, but quality will start to decline, it may get freezer burn, and lose flavor and texture. Frozen turkey may be a good choice to increase convenience, and can be stored in a freezer indefinitely as long as it stays below 0F all of the time.
Fresh turkey can safely be eaten indefinitely when kept at or below 0 degF, but is best enjoyed within 4 months. Raw turkey can be frozen safely indefinitely, but it must be consumed within 3-4 months for best flavor and freshness. Raw turkey breasts can be stored in a freezer up to one year, but are still safe past this time when kept at a constant 0degF. Cooked turkey breast can be kept in the refrigerator up to 3 days as long as it is refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking and is not kept between 40-140 degrees past 2 hours.
Sealed raw turkey, including turkey that has been defrosted, can safely be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Thawed turkey can be stored for another two days in the original package, as long as it is kept refrigerated. Do not take the thawed turkey out at room temperature or onto the kitchen counter unless you are ready to use it to cook within one hour. You will want to make sure that the meat is still in the original packaging, and has not been in the fridge for more than 2 days since you got it from the store.
If you break the vacuum sealed packages and place the meat into the freezer bag, you lose the advantage of being able to store the meat in its original packaging. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry right in its original package, however, that kind of wrapping is permeable to air, and quality can deteriorate over time. It can be a good idea to add an extra layer of foil over the top of the original packing to make sure the entire turkey does not become contaminated with any food odors from its freezing environment. Ground turkey can be stored in its original packaging in the freezer, but wrapping it up in foil and placing it into a baggie is a good idea as well.
Ideally, you will want to freeze the turkey in the original, sealed package, but if that is not an option, consider using a special freezer bag with seals that will keep leaks out and prevent other foods from getting in your freezer, and store it in a lower drawer in the freezer, ideally. For longer-term freezer storage, wrap it in heavy-duty plastic wrap, aluminum foil, freezer paper, or insulated plastic bags made specifically for freezing. Unless you plan to use the food within one to two months, double-wrap packages with airtight heavy-duty foil or freezer plastic. Second, be sure that all raw turkey is tightly wrapped and placed in one layer inside a sealed container or in the freezer.
Portion out turkey into portions suited for eating, and pack into a freezer-safe bag or container. For longer-term storage, freeze the fresh turkey one to two days after it is purchased, or the best-by date on the label. If it is not feasible to obtain the turkey that close in time, buying the fresh turkey some time prior to the date and freezing it may be a good alternative.
A particularly unusual option is freezing ground turkey, and uncertainty about that food and how to store it can result in all sorts of waste, which you want to avoid in order to save yourself time and money. We are here to help end the tossing, walking you through how to store and freeze turkey (whether it is whole, chopped, ground), as well as how long the turkey will last, both raw and cooked, if it is whole. If you are storing cooked turkey (as opposed to raw), according to The Globe and Mail, it should keep well for two or three months in the freezer. Any meat that is not ground up and is not cooked, including turkey, should be prepared within two days, aiming for the most freshness, according to The Kitchn.
How long does raw ground turkey last in the freezer?
Under proper storage conditions, it will remain safe for approximately three to four months if stored properly, but it will remain safe for much longer. There is no guarantee that the ground turkey will keep as long as you keep it constantly frozen at 0°F; however, this is only an estimate based on the best quality.
How can you tell if the frozen ground turkey is bad?
When it comes to determining if the turkey is still good to eat, the smell and the texture are the best indicators. In fact, if you want to be sure that your turkey is still tasty, you need to check its odor and texture because a sour odor and/or slimy texture are signs that it is probably not good anymore – regardless of the packaging.
What does spoiled ground turkey look like?
The indication of spoiled ground turkey will be mucoid and also dried out. A color change is another sign that your ground turkey has expired. Ground meat that has been left on the counter for too long will lose its pink color, turning grey, green, or yellow and smells like a rotten egg.