Freezer burn happens when air reaches frozen food and pulls moisture from its surface. It causes dry gray-white patches, ice crystals, and poor texture, but it does not automatically make food unsafe.
This applies to meat, fish, bread, vegetables, leftovers, and other foods stored in household freezers.
Does this affect you?
Use this if frozen food has dry spots, leathery texture, or visible ice crystals and you want to prevent it next time.
Package food to keep air out
- Press air out of zip-top freezer bags before sealing.
- Use the water displacement method for bags: lower the nearly sealed bag into water so pressure pushes air out, then seal.
- Use freezer bags and freezer wrap instead of thin sandwich bags or basic plastic wrap.
- Double-wrap meat and fish with plastic wrap plus foil or a freezer bag.
- Freeze in meal-sized portions so bags are not opened and resealed repeatedly.
- Label packages with the date.
Check freezer settings and storage habits
- Keep the freezer at 0F or -18C.
- Avoid leaving the door open while deciding what to grab.
- Do not overpack so tightly that air cannot circulate.
- Do not leave the freezer mostly empty if you can avoid it; frozen items help stabilize temperature.
- Keep older food toward the front and newer food toward the back.
USDA guidance treats freezer burn as a quality problem, not a safety problem. Trim dry gray-brown areas from meat before cooking. Freezer-burned food is often best in soups, stews, braises, casseroles, or smoothies where texture matters less.
If well-wrapped food burns quickly, check the freezer with a separate appliance thermometer. The dial may not match the real temperature anymore.
Sources
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service – Freezing and Food Safety (2025)
- Whirlpool – What Causes Freezer Burn and How to Prevent It (2025)
- GE Appliances – Freezer Burn: Causes and Fixes (2024)