Your example is bad because you assume too many things, for example that it is a good freezer and the steak has been properly packaged before being frozen. Poorly packaged in a low quality freezer the steak would be ruined in 2 weeks. Given that we don't know the quality of the freezer, how the food was packaged, what type of food it was it could all be a horrendous inedible mess by now, sure it'd still be safe to eat but would you want to eat it if you had a choice - Obviously not.

#6: If you had taken the time to read the other comments, you would have realized Baustigt said exactly what you are describing. Regardless, their example is perfectly acceptable.

Firstly he said expiration dates are irrelevant and they aren't they tell you when the food will start declining, which makes his statement flawed. Secondly any example based on flawed assumptions is a bad example, he's making an example based on his own freezer and assuming that's universal. #8 I was on a mobile with poor internet only able to read the first comment and replies which were loaded and therefore replied to that, regardless my point is still valid because he does contradict himself though. If you can't understand my point we'll have to agree to disagree because replying any further is a waste of time for both of us.

I disagree that replying is a waste of time. Sharing information is the only cure for ignorance. There really is no such thing as a true expiration date. This is why most food products use a "best by" date. Those dates are irrelevant, anyway, especially when frozen and/or canned. This is what Baustigt was saying. I'm sorry you don't understand that. Also, are you not assuming his own assumptions? I've never heard of a working freezer incapable of keeping something frozen for longer than two weeks. It would be a total marketing disaster for the manufacturer if that was the case.

In the country I live freezers are graded by a star rating on frozen foods they have dates that indicate when a food will no longer retain the quality it was frozen at based on the freezers star rating. Having had a quick browse 1* freezers will keep the frozen meat I looked at for 2 weeks and a 3* is 6 months, these ratings are usually very accurate and therefore useful if you want to eat the food before the quality declines meaning it's not irrelevant. As I said previously of course the food is still edible after this date but with the declining quality over time would you choose to eat that instead of something new? I also find it interesting that you say I said the exact same things as Baustigt and then claim I don't understand what he's saying - you're contradicting yourself again. I may be making assumptions - people do incorrectly on the internet all the time, though I do think I'm not making assumptions because examples are made based on your own experiences and therefore logically when making a freezer based example it is based on his own experiences and therefore his own freezer. I don't know if you've ever seen children's miniature freezers, they're good for ice lollies for a while and that's about it but they're still classed as 1* freezers. You're wrong about canned goods though as you generalised and many acidic canned goods have a very definite best before date because they corrode the cans causing metals to leech into whatever it is.

jfc ashrikeshikes is the most enthusiastic person about frozen food i've ever met. perhaps consider a more fufilling hobby?

You are 100% incorrect. I work for a sausage manufacturer in the food safety department and I can tell you that a week after our stated code date, the food declined in quality. A MONTH after the code date the microbial counts are at ridiculously high and unsafe levels to eat.

did you assume my gender

hahaha assume your gender when has a little male logo beside your pic.. please!

Freezer burn affects the quality of the food not the food safety.

You can eat extinct woolly mammoth that have been frozen for over ten thousand years

Yes another 6 months, not 3 years.

Guess that 3 year old pound of hamburger meat that pretty much tasted fine albeit a little freezer burnt I ate was expired and completely bad then? Or the over 4 year old packed hamburgers?

Freeze a small container of water... once the ice is set, put something on top so that if the ice melts, it will sink down in and then even if it re-freezes you can tell.

Absolutely something my grandma would do