Quick question about frozen meats

I was at the grocery store last night picking out some chicken (boneless thighs and breasts). I only need small amounts, and only have so much money, so I was sorting through the packages pretty thoroughly to find the “right” ones.

Our grocery store keeps the packaged meats in a regular meat case (no doors). Not sure if that is freezing the meats or not. They do have a meat counter…and I suspect that they do a lot of their cutting and packaging right there (half their meat is store brand, half is, say, Tyson).

So I’m looking at these packages of chicken and I notice that on most of them there’s ice crystals inside the package, on the meat.

All of a sudden I get the idea that, even though I am going to go home and freeze most of what I buy, I don’t want frozen-thawed-frozen-thawed meat. And I don’t want any freezer burn. But I am not even sure what freezer burn is.

Those of you who are more attuned to how grocery store meat is packaged - what do you say about ice crystals on meat that is in a styrofoam tray covered in cellophane? Is that pretty normal? Does it indicate freezing or just a little bit of chill on the skin?

I’m trying to eat healthier here by buying and cooking my own meat (as opposed to uhm…sandwiches and pizza) but I want to make sure that I continue to eat meat by not getting turned off by buying meat that is already doomed.

Frozen isn’t “frozen” in poultry parlance.

Annoying, I know. But a “fresh” chicken or turkey means it’s never been below 26°. As we all know, water freezes much warmer than that. A 26° bird will have plenty of ice crystals, and be pretty darn firm, but it won’t be rock hard.

A “frozen” chicken or turkey has been stored at 0° or colder. It will be rock hard.

Either one is fine to put in your freezer when you get home. The “fresh” with ice crystals hasn’t been frozen and then thawed (at least, it shouldn’t have been), just keeping it at “fresh” temps is low enough to make ice crystals.

Citearooni.