How to Freeze Meat
I date a quart freezer bag and put about a pound of the meat in. Then, seal the bag 3/4 of the way.
Then, squish.
Then, roll with a rolling pin. I find this is an easy way to get the air out.
Seal the rest of the way. Then stack in the freezer.
Having the meat squished flat makes it defrost in a couple of minutes in some warm water. I love it!
Another good way to save a buck on hamburger is buying the 73% lean instead of the 90%. You can make it have about the same fat content as the leaner with 3 steps after browning. First, drain. Second, rinse with hot water. Third, pat dry with a paper towel.
I also like to buy my chicken in bulk. I buy it fresh so I can trim the fat off all at once and have it just ready to use. Then I pack it in dated quart size bags, two breasts to a bag and then fold the bag in half so they are each in a separate pouch and won't stick together. Then, you can use one or both and they defrost faster!
Do you have a good recommendation on how to freeze meat?
16 Comments:
Look how organized you are! You are so fabulous! Thanks for sharing your tips with us!
This is so fantastic! I buy all my meat and chicken in bulk, but love the idea to make the meat thaw faster and it saves so much space!
A lady I took a class from said she cooks her right when she brings it home. She cooks some with taco sauce, some with onions, and some without and freezes it already cooked. I thought that was a great idea too!
Very cool... I always freeze it in the chunks, and it DOES take FOREVER to defrost! So thank you for the tip!
Ooo, good one Michelle! That would thaw SO much faster. I love it.
We do the bulk thing too, but what a great idea to make them smushed like that!
Did you know it'll thaw faster in COLD water?
wow! I am soooo going to do this. I posted about it on my blog http://blessedbarnharts.blogspot.com/2009/11/little-tipsy.html
I absolutely LOVE your tips! Thank you so much for sharing them! =)
I do the same thing too and you can also make up meatloafs and put it away the same way and then all you have to do is bake the complete meatloaf ready to bake & eat saves time later each time you want meatloaf. Just found your blog via forever and always blog so you now have a new follower great blog keep up the good work. julie
I freeze everything "flat" like this: broths, soups, purees. Love how it not only freezes and thaws faster, but fits in the freezer better, too.
Most of my hamburger I brown the whole big package up first, then freeze it cooked (unseasoned). It doesn't take very long to cook it all up, and then I can make a lot of quick suppers - no waiting for it to thaw!
Wow - great idea! Never would have thought of that and I bet it takes up much less space in the freezer. Thanks!
love that idea...you know that if you want to reuse the freezer bags you just put the meat in a sandwich bag first (making sure the meat doesn't touch the freezer bag). Maybe that's common sense to everyone else but I had to be told that just sticking my meat in freezer bags and washing them to reuse them is unhealthy. Love your idea and I'm planning on using it the next time I get some ground beef!
I used to buy the chubs and then they started to get grissley and we were picking gross pieces out of them (Fred Meyer). So I talked with my aunt and she said never buy the chub (she works for Safeway) She explained the difference in the pre-packed chub and the store fresh ground meat. I still buy at FM buy I buy the store fresh ground and it tastes so much better and cleaner. Just a thought. Love the storage idea still, never thought to flatten them.
Ah ha, great tip! I will definitely have to try it! Found you via UBP -- thanks for visiting my blog, too!
You are so CLEVER! I never thought to roll it out so it stacks neatly and that chicken breast tip is also great!
Can't WAIT to attack that freezer next time I buy meat!!!
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