What is Freezer Burn?

Freezer burn: the oxymoron that's a menace to frozen foods everywhere. Freezer burn is the term for those dry patches that appear on foods left in the freezer for too long, most often seen in the form of white blotches of ice crystals. Whether it's a carton of ice cream, some uncooked chicken, or the bulk-buy veggies that you promised yourself you'd eventually eat, discovering freezer burn's ravage on your food is never a nice surprise. Knowing how freezer burn happens is important in preventing it in the future, so here's a quick roundup of the most common freezer-burn questions and answers.

What Causes Freezer Burn?

"Sublime" is probably not an adjective you'd use to describe freezer burn, but its root cause is a process called sublimation. That's when a substance changes from a solid directly into a gas without passing through the liquid stage. For instance, have you ever noticed that ice cubes start to shrink in their freezer tray if they go unused? This is because the surrounding cold, dry air gradually draws their moisture out, and the frozen water sublimes into vapor. This is exactly how freezer burn ends up happening: If a food item isn't properly sealed while stored in a freezer, sublimation causes it to become terribly dry.

Freezer burn appears in the form of white, sharp ice crystals forming on the surface of the food. Frost on the outside packaging isn't necessarily a deal breaker, but ice crystals directly on the food definitely is. You may also notice discoloration and wrinkling on the food surface.

You can, but it's not recommended! Freezer-burned foods will have an awful taste, an off-putting texture and a diminished nutritional value, but there's nothing particularly dangerous about eating them. There's no mold or bacteria involved in freezer burn - just dehydration. If you're looking for instructions on how to get rid of freezer burn taste, your best bet is to just cut off the freezer-burnt parts.

Unfortunately not. Once freezerburn has happened to a particular piece of food, it cannot be undone. As we said earlier, freezer-burned parts of foods can be cut off, but it's a much better idea to avoid it in the first place. The best tactic is to take the proper preventative measures before freezer burn even has a chance!