Did i ruin my whole chickens!?

[BantamPhantom21]

So we butchered cornishes the other night. Ive had birds (4) in the fridge for 2 1/2 days to rest. I patted them off as much as i culd then i put them in freezer bags and in the freezer... WELL, i just looked and they have ice on them. So i just took them BACK out, put them on the counter... What do i do?????

 

[Jedwards]

It's generally not good to keep refreezing and thawing meat because it decreases the quality of the meat. How much ice was on them?

 

[wyoDreamer]

Put them back in the freezer! Keep them frozen until you are going to use them. A little coating of ice isn't going to hurt them. Make sure you have removed as much air as you possibly can from the bags. In My Opinion, better to wrap tight in freezer paper, wrap in 2 layers of paper if you are worried about it.

Now, if they went into the freezer dry and then a couple of months later had ice forming, then I would worry about my freezer. Don't store them in your frost-free refrigerator/freezer if at all possible.

 

[BantamPhantom21]

Ok good info, i put them back in, and they have ice again... Will it hurt the meat?

 

[wyoDreamer]

When you have ice crystals like that right away, it is surface water that is freezing. When you buy the skinless/boneless chicken breasts that are frozen, they actually coat it in a solution to prevent drying out of the meat. You need to worry about ice crystals if they form later because that moisture is actually coming from the meat. the ice itself is not harming the meat, it is an indication that the meat is getting dried out.

I would use that chicken sooner rather than later. Not a huge, "We gotta eat chicken everyday to use it before it gets bad" type of thing, but don't let it hang in the freezer for a year either.

If you used the ziploc type freezer bags, they are OK for freezing stuff, but they really aren't air tight.