Two might be pushing it.

Googling, 1 year.

Honestly it is not worth it.

You got it, when in doubt..........

Sounds like your freezer could benefit from a good review.

Go buy some nice applesauce if this find has you craving it.

Eat it.....science tells that there is nothing in that to poison you make you sick or even taste funny.

Even if it has thawed and refrozen it won 't make you sick. Even much older applesauce won't make you sick.

Seriously? What do you think there is in apples and sugar to make you sick? Ever drink cider? un pasteurized cider? And the apples in the sauce have been cooked!

I'm with Linda on this. Look it up....if the item has remained frozen all that time, it is perfectly safe to eat. An extended freezer stay only affects textures, moisture levels and color (none of which may apply to applesauce). It has nothing to do with the safety of the item frozen for an extended period.

I agree. Eat it but feel free to toss it if it tastes like freezer.

I also agree it's absolutely safe. It's just a matter of the taste and/or texture being compromised.

I think everyone's guessing but even if it were safe, who wants to eat something that's been in the freezer for two years?

It will likely not taste that great, but I'm also pretty sure it won't poison anyone.

This is why I appreciate my compost bin. I don't feel like such things are going to waste when I compost them.

I would find it quite unappetizing and throw it out.

Not guessing at all.....the info is reported by the USDA Food Safety section. And there is nothing to say that taste or texture/quality will be affected at all!

"I would find it quite unappetizing and throw it out."

How would you possibly know that unless you did taste it??

Couldn’t decide whether to put this here or on the freezing cookie dough thread. I’m guessing a year ago give or take I set out to test a few cut-out sugar cookie recipes from a thread here (CF). After a couple days I came back to ask if the dough would still be good. Was told yes. A day or so later I tossed the disks in the freezer. Unlabeled of course so even if there is a winner I won’t kbow which it is.

Somewhere over seven pounds of dough. Would ya?

No way will it be harmful, unless your freezer thawed and things all got warm for a few weeks!!

It may taste more like freezer ice than applesauce...

I clean my deep freeze once a year, January when all the food can go outside while it defrosts...

"I clean my deep freeze once a year, January when all the food can go outside while it defrosts."

Frozen or defrosted, can't you put such items into your trash can the morning of the pick up, anytime of the year?

gardengal48:

The IDEA of 2 year old food from the freezer would cause me to lose my appetite for it.

Elmer I hope that was a joke. If so, funny!

No. Did I miss something?

Was the post mis-read? Does she keep the food outdoors to stay cold while she manually defrosts the freezer?

Ah, I see. Thawing out the freezer, not the garbage. I'm glad we don't have such cold weather here, but nor do I have a freezer with much in it or that needs to be defrosted.

I see no problem safetywise from 2 year old frozen anything, meats might suffer some freezer burn depending upon how well they were "wrapped". I'd toss out crab meat since even just one month in the freezer makes it spongy (mine never makes it to the freezer). We eat 2 year old room temperature stored canned applesauce (pear sauce) without problems and it tastes fine, but 2 years is the max.

Aged apple sauce tastes much better.

dcarch :-)

Food in the freezer can experience water migration where the water pushes out of the food and creates ice crystals on it. Depending on the packaging (not a problem for containers), the evaporator in modern freezers can make this worse. This can disturb the texture of the food. Frozen food is safe to eat for a long long time even if it's not at its best flavor/appearance.

Roxana, if it's a manual defrost "deep freeze" I'd eat it. If it's the freezer attached to your refrigerator I wouldn't, because it has partially thawed repeatedly.

Thaw it sniff it, taste it. if it tastes and smells okay, id eat. I would guess its got that funky freezer quality by now, though .

bpath makes a good point, my post above involved a deep freezer and not the auto defrostable types associated with refrigerators.

If it doesn't taste stale or like the freezer, I'd most likely use it to make applesauce cake.

carolb -- that's what I was thinking!

Thanks to everyone for replying.

Is there some maxim that if it's food and in one's house, it must be eaten?

I can't be the only one around who feels no guilt throwing something out that was purchased and is fine in all respects but that I simply decide I don't want to eat.

I have no problem composting or throwing out food I don’t want.

No. But it's pretty damn wasteful if there is nothing wrong with it. Feel free to push out of your thoughts all those less fortunate who would leap at the chance for some decent food as you toss it in the garbage.

And that wasn't the original question anyway. The issue was whether it was safe to eat or not. And it is.

gardengal, sometimes food is bought and one finds out they just don’t like the taste. Sometimes one simply cannot finish even the smallest container of something before it becomes stale. It is wonderful if you can find a way to put it into baking or something like that but it is not always possible.

There is no sense hanging onto it if one is never going to eat it.

I agree that wasn’t the original question, though.

"Feel free to push out of your thoughts all those less fortunate who would leap at the chance for some decent food as you toss it in the garbage."

You're welcome to feel that way but that's silly and quite a stretch to try to find guilt where there need not be any. That's the "clean your plate children, poor children in China are starving" line that never did make any sense.

If you want to support those who are less fortunate, do so with your checkbook and volunteer your time. Don't obsess over putting half a watermelon you've tired of into the trash.

Waste not, want not

Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff.

I believe the applesauce is safe to eat, but may have lost some flavor. I would defrost and taste it.

Well i just took the last applesauce out of my freezer . made cookies, and have had it with toast. the dates were Oct.2018. looked and tasted fresh as when put in freezer.

Curious why you had applesauce in tbe freezer in the first place? Do you make big batches abd freeze it in smaller portions?

Lisa -- yes, when I make applesauce, I do a large batch and freeze portions. I have a deep aversion to canning -- my father grew a large garden and my mother had to can so the family ate well during the winter, but it was SO much work. Not easy with five kids, either, and a totally non-modern farmhouse kitchen! She also put up jelly from our apples and grapes (which festooned the stone walls around the ten acres). The hot summers did not make it an enjoyable experience for her, either!

But homemade certainly tastes better than "boughten" stuff!!! =)

For those who tend to throw away food, please keep in mind local food pantries. Of course, they won't take (nor should they) opened or expired food.

Put it this way..if there was a zombie apocolypse tomorrow you wouldn't think twice about eating it.

Food doesn't "expire." The dates on food are dates the manufacturers put on food packages are simply when the product will have the best taste and texture.

(with the exception some products like baby formula that are regulated the government)

https://www.vox.com/22559293/food-waste-expiration-label-best-before

Lisa-fla,most often I would can the applesauce, but when to lazy to get the canner out for just one small batch I would just put it a freezer bag in 1 or 2 cup amounts for cookies and such.

"Food doesn't "expire.""

Sure it does. And unless you're talking about food whose preparation processing includes aging or specific amounts of time spent for flavor and texture development, it degrades and is never better than the day it was made.

From my experiences living abroad, it would seem that the practice of stockpiling food as some Americans do is not as widely done elsewhere. Large fridges and freezers, large pantries, etc., are not that common. Some do enjoy homemade jams and preserves from local supplies but doing so is done in smaller quantities.

Fresh food is more highly prized than here. The regionality and seasonality of food availability is enjoyed and celebrated. I still remember things like the beginnings of spring lamb season, or strawberry season, asparagus season, mussel season, etc, and how each of these foods (and other kinds) could be suddenly found in stores and restaurants for limited periods of time before their seasons ended and it was necessary to wait until the following year to enjoy them again. But, other things would become available in their place,

I often repackage meats ( bought on sale) and fruits from our trees with my foodsaver. Unless the seal has broken for some reason, I have had great successful.

I also package soups in a slab (frozen in the bag flat, then sealed)and casseroles (freeze, then package) It works great, especially in winter when you want to feel warm and fuzzy! Later you can eat that warm and fuzzy!

Yes, I just finish gagging on American goulash, one of my favorites but not made from 2 year old frozen ground beef. Frozen Oct. 2019 to be exact and carefully vacuum packed so well. Now I haven't gotten sick and don't believe I will, but it tasted like crap so what was I thinking?

Do not waste echoed in my head as I gave it a thought because I was raised by two depression babies where nothing is wasted, and taught you eat what you have and never take what you won't eat and I dished it out.

I have two more packs of this foul ground beef destined for the land fill Thursday but will leave it at the curb with a free sign tomorrow for anyone who wants it.

The quality can degrade, but it doesn't "expire."

If the period or general point up to which someone wants to use an item has passed, then for them, it has expired.

I accept that personal preferences and views vary but this is a relative point in time, not an absolute one about which there is a subjective or objective consensus.