Do You Need to Freeze Ground Beef
You've Been Freezing Footing Beef Wrong Your Whole Life
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In that location are times when you realize you demand ground beefiness for a recipe — but it's frozen solid after sitting in the freezer. And even if you lot only need a portion, thawing your entire package of basis beef long enough to become some can take forever, and then you're faced with the prospect of needing to prepare it all within a few days because refreezing meat that's already been frozen isn't always the all-time idea.
But what can you do? The fridge is not a long-term storage solution for ground beefiness. The USDA'southward Nutrient Safety and Inspection Service says that refrigerated ground beef should be used within 1 or ii days.
Well, you lot're in luck, because there's an like shooting fish in a barrel hack that'll solve this problem. The next fourth dimension you purchase raw footing beef, starting time take information technology out of its packaging. Then store the meat inside a ziplock freezer handbag, just earlier sealing the pocketbook, printing it down with your hands or a rolling pivot until information technology'south a rectangle that'southward about a one-half-inch thick (via Southern Living).
How to freeze basis beef the correct way
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Flattening down the ground beef will make information technology defrost faster later on because of the increased surface area, which will cut down on your meal prep when it comes fourth dimension to cook your meat. This also removes any air pockets that might lead to freezer burn, which can modify your meat's taste (via Lifehacker). Brand certain the bag is tightly sealed afterwards portioning out and so use a permanent marking to label it with the date and what's inside. This will assistance y'all keep track of when information technology was stored.
But you tin can accept this a footstep further. Portion out the ground beef into separate plastic bags outset and and then flatten them down before you put it in the freezer. It might take a niggling more than work, but information technology pays off later when you're cooking. Use a kitchen scale to counterbalance and separate out the raw meat into sections (the exact amount for each portion is upwards to what is most useful to you, although creating 1-pound packages might make the most sense, every bit many recipes telephone call for basis beef in pounds). Label the handbag with the total amount of ground beef inside so you know exactly how much yous need for a recipe when you lot take information technology out afterward.
An easier manner to freeze basis beef
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Want something easier and faster to do? You can also store your meat in a larger freezer bag and and so take a long chopstick, ruler, or annihilation with a directly edge to divide up the meat into private portions. By doing then, fifty-fifty though you're freezing the entire bag, you tin can only break off the amount that you need later. No need to thaw out the whole thing!
When you want to thaw out a handbag of frozen footing beefiness, place it in the fridge and and so leave it to defrost for a few hours, if you take the time. If you're brusque on time, run absurd water over it in the sink. Demand it right away? Have out the meat from the bag and microwave it with the "defrost" setting.
Storing your raw ground beef in plastic numberless and flattening them helps to relieve precious freezer space considering they can be easily stacked on top of one another. But annotation that while ground beef kept frozen is safety for an indefinite corporeality of fourth dimension, information technology will eventually start to lose quality. It's best to use it inside four months, which is withal a fairly long time, especially if you discover an awesome deal on ground beef at your local supermarket and want to stock up.
Salve fourth dimension at dinner by freezing cooked basis beef
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If you want to take things a step further in the meal prep department, y'all'll want to melt your ground beef prior to freezing it. The Kitchn recommends cooking your meat and seasoning it with salt and pepper, at a minimum, only in that location's no reason you lot can't add taco seasonings for Taco Tuesday, or sautéed onions and garlic for a pot of chili. Once your beefiness is cooked, drain the fatty and permit it absurd before freezing it in half-pound portions. Over again, flattening the meat in a Ziploc pocketbook with all the air pushed out is your all-time bet to avoid freezer burn.
When you're ready to melt, you don't even need to worry nearly defrosting. Just driblet the meat in the pan or pot, and you're well on your way to dinner.
Source: https://www.mashed.com/216990/youve-been-freezing-ground-beef-wrong-your-whole-life/
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