How to Store Meat in the Freezer in a Healthy Way
How to store meat in the freezer? We should know the right process. Meat is one of the staple foods on the dining table several days a week, and in order not to waste a lot of time and make a repeated effort to buy it every day, “Shopnodana” provides you with a complete guide on how to store meat in a healthy way from the time of purchase and then in freezer or refrigerator
In addition to tips to thaw them properly after taking them out of the freezer. There are a lot of food safety standards that must be taken into account when storing them, to ensure that they maintain their freshness and texture while protecting them from exposure to any bacteria or germs. All you need now is to continue reading the article.
How to Store Meat in the Freezer in a Healthy Way
Knowing the correct way to keep meat is an essential thing to protect it from exposure to bacteria and germs, and thus protect your family from many health problems.
Here are a set of tips that will help you preserve meat in the freezer after purchasing it:
- Buy fresh meat, which should be red or pink, not dull gray, moist and not sticky, and most importantly make sure it doesn’t spoil with its smell.
- Put the meats together in the same bags, away from other foods, until you get home.
- Make sure to put bags of meat near the window when transporting, or turn on the air conditioning if you have a car.
- Put the meat in the fridge as soon as you get home, even if you plan to cook it a little later, or store it in the freezer.
As for how to store it in the refrigerator, this is what we tell you in the next paragraph
How to store meat in the freezer
When buying meat, keep it in the fridge to help slow the growth of germs, and keep food safe and fresh for longer, and the same thing after you’ve cooked it, so it’s essential to follow these tips:(1)
1. Put fresh meat in the refrigerator as soon as you get home, to prevent bacteria from forming, and to prevent food poisoning.
2. Keep cooked meat separate from raw meat and other prepared foods in the refrigerator. Put raw meat up to three days after purchase on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, as it provides the highest cooling temperature until cooked, and three to four days if it is cooked.
3. Wait for leftover cooked meat to cool to room temperature, then store it in the refrigerator, and eat it within two days.
As for the method of preserving meat in the freezer, it is as follows.
How to store meat in the freezer for a long time
To keep the meat healthy, sound, and fresh flavor for a long time during storage in the freezer, follow these steps:
1. Divide the meat into portions before freezing, according to the amount you need in each cooking.
2. Put them in resealable plastic bags or airtight containers.
3. Do not keep a date on the container or bag from the outside.
4. Make sure you pack meat properly in the freezer and keep it away from other foods.
5. Eat it within three to six months.
6. Never refreeze raw meat after it has been defrosted, but you can refreeze cooked meat once, as long as it has been cooled before placing it in the freezer.
What is the shelf life of frozen meat? How long does frozen meat last?
Now you know how to store meat in the freezer. But you should know how long frozen meat lasts.
Poultry
You can keep whole chickens and turkeys can last up to a year in the freezer. Turkey, chicken breasts, thighs, or wings should be consumed within nine months, while giblets should be consumed no more than three to four months.
Beef and lamb
You can keep raw steaks in the freezer for six to 12 months. If you cut in the pieces that will last for four to six months while roasts can be frozen for up to a year.
Fish and seafood
You can store lean fish for six to eight months in the freezer while fatty fish only last two to three months.
Not sure if your fish is light or oily? Common lean fish include seabass, cod, tuna, and tilapia, while fatty fish include mackerel, salmon, and sardines.
Other fresh seafood such as shrimp, scallops, lobster, and squid should keep for three to six months in the freezer.
Minced meat
Ground beef, turkey, lamb, or veal will keep its quality in the freezer for three to four months. (The same goes for hamburger meat!)
Cooked meat and leftovers
Looking to save leftover turkeys? Cooked meat does not maintain its quality in the freezer as long as raw meat remains: cooked poultry and fish can be kept in the freezer for four to six months, while beef, veal, lamb, and pork should not be kept for longer than two to three months.
The fastest way to defrost meat
Now you know how to store meat in the freezer but to defrost the frozen meat, follow these tips:
1. Put the meat in the fridge overnight: until the ice is completely gone, and if you want to speed up this process, you can defrost it in the microwave, or put the bag of meat in a bowl under the tap, to defrost underwater.
2. Put the meat in a deep bowl: to prevent blood from leaking from it after defrosting it, and to avoid the spread of any bacteria attached to it to foods or various objects in the kitchen.
You got to know with us, dear, tips for storing meat in a healthy way, do not hesitate to follow all the previous steps, to maintain its freshness, taste, and texture, and to be safe for you and your family
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