How to Take Care of Frozen Meat

Of the many ways that help saving you money, one way is purchasing large packets of meat that a number of grocery stores sell at discounted prices. Buying large quantity of food enables you to cook many meals. The trick in case of meats is to know how to freeze it appropriately.

Unless meat is frozen in the correct manner, it is likely to get freezer burns. The meat that you buy must be put into the freezer as soon as you bring it home. Before sending it to the freezer, you should trim off its fat. It is important that you carefully wash and dry your hands, as well as the container for the storage of meat, in order to eliminate any chance of the meat getting contaminated with bacteria.

For the storage of meat, you need to use specifically made freezer bags, where you can keep the meat enclosed in a foil or plastic sheet. You may also make use of specially made plastic containers for this purpose. It helps to use wax paper for separating different pieces of meat. If you don't intend keeping food items in the freezer, make sure that you thoroughly wrap the meat. Most meats won't get spoiled for a couple of months when you store them in freezers.

Here are some useful tips for freezing meats. Always clean seafood before freezing it. Clams need to be shucked prior to freezing, though it is not essential in the case of oysters. Thawed meat can be refrozen, though it may affect its quality to some extent. It is imperative to freeze meat in packets of appropriate size, so that the meat will get frozen within 24 hours, lest it should go bad before getting completely frozen. One packet should contain not more than three pounds of meat.

When you want to defrost any food, keep it within the refrigerator and let it defrost slowly. Though you may also defrost it by putting it in the microwave oven, the quality of the meat defrosted in the refrigerator is better. Ensure that the item is firmly wrapped and kept over another pot to prevent juices of the frozen item from leaking into rest of the foods that the fridge may contain.

The best way to ensure that the quality of the frozen meat will stay the same is to mark the name and date of freezing on its packaging. By following this practice, you can conveniently find out how long the product has been kept frozen, allowing you to decide if it can further be kept in the freezer or if it should be consumed. Another important aspect of freezing meat is to clean the freezer every six months. Cleaning ensures the freshness of frozen foods.