SPOT IT · IS IT SAFE · PREVENT IT
- What it looks like — Greyish-brown, leathery, dry spots on the food.
- What causes it — Air reached the surface of the food and dried it out in spots.
- Is it safe? — Yes. It makes food dry, not unsafe. Cut the dry parts away before or after cooking.
- Wrap it airtight — Shop wrapping on meat lets air through. To freeze it longer than a month or two, overwrap it airtight or use a freezer bag.
- Freeze fast, keep cold — For quality, freeze food as fast as possible and keep the freezer at -18 °C (0 °F) or colder.
- Date the pack — Write the freezing date on it. Raw steaks keep their best quality for 4 to 12 months from freezing, at -18 °C.
Freezer burn is a quality problem, not a safety one. Freezing does not kill bacteria: they become active again when food thaws. Thaw in the fridge, never on the counter. Text and pictures were made with AI.
