Frozen Ground Beef - Deadline or suggestion?

October 6, 2015 6:27 PM

I have some frozen ground-beef patties from Costco which are about a year-and-a-half past their best by date. They were bought frozen, stayed frozen, and haven't had any power outages. From looking around online, it doesn't look like they'll poison me (if I'm wrong though, let me know), but is it a waste of time trying to use them up? If not, what sort of things should I use them for which best minimizes freezer-burn taste?
posted by CrystalDave to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Best answer: I recently got around to cooking some 1+ year old, freezer-burned hamburger patties. Grilled them outdoors, they were super juicy/greasy as those things are, and fixed them up with the usual buns/ketchup/mustard/pickles/etc. The grill imparted a lot of smoky/char flavor, and I didn't notice any freezer burn taste. YMMV if you decide to cook on a pan on your stove.
posted by puritycontrol at 6:37 PM on October 6, 2015

Shepherd pie. Easy and delish. If you want to make it easier (and still awesome) use bob evans potatoes.
posted by dpx.mfx at 6:39 PM on October 6, 2015

I'd Salisbury steak them. Lots of gravy (good homemade if you can swing it) over potatoes.
posted by supercres at 6:40 PM on October 6, 2015

I'd make a mess of chili and have a big party and invite everyone and eat it all up at once.
posted by Miko at 7:22 PM on October 6, 2015

Beef stroganoff or a good bolognese, but I'd try one first, they might taste just fine as hamburgers.
posted by Dashy at 7:41 PM on October 6, 2015

Best answer: Things that really matter in the world, in decreasing order of importance:

1. Universe Implodes
2. End of Western Civilisation As We Know It
...
32768. Oops, I dropped a piece of paper
...
...
...
...
Infinity -1. Best By Date on frozen food.
posted by HiroProtagonist at 9:18 PM on October 6, 2015 [9 favorites]

Tamale pie has lots of flavor so the taste of the ground beef won't matter as much.
posted by carrioncomfort at 7:46 AM on October 7, 2015

Best answer: Safe to eat - definitely. Tasty? Cheap hamburg has a lot of fat, so survives the freezer pretty decently. Adding spices will help with any freezer-y flavor.

I love shepherd's pie, and I brown the burger, then add a Tb or so of flour, plenty of chili powder, salt, and some water to make a gravy. 1 can corn + 1 can creamed corn for the middle layer, mashed potatoes. I don't eat dairy, but if I did, I'd add sour cream and cheddar to the potatoes. Bake until bubbling.
posted by theora55 at 8:59 AM on October 7, 2015