froZEN/freezING meat
 

i was just wondering if there were any special things you had to do before freezing cooked meat or chicken so it doesnt freezer burn etc. And how long would it keep if i just refigerated it?

Oh and if i buy a huge amount of ground frozen meat and i only want to use a part of it at once, how do i get the piece off? because i was always told that you shouldnt defrost the whole thing and then freeze it again because its bad for the meat?

does anyone know any sites or resources that give info about any of this??

thanks!

as far as refreezing...
 

As far as refreezing, Cook the whole thing. Then you can refreeze the letovers. I usually take freezer bags and divide out for either another dinner or smaller portions for lunchs (this is especially good). Since it is already cooked you can take out to defrost the night before and mike at work.

Hope that helps...

is there any danger of freezer burn or change in taste if i just put it in a ziploc then?

thanks!

Use bags labeled Freezer
 

Make sure those ziplocs are specifically made for the freezer. They are labeled right on the box. Also when packing, Push out all the air before you seal it.

I rarely deal with freezer burn. It does happen but if you are careful you shouldn't have much if any problems. Oh and no change of taste that I have noticed. Test it out with something small and see. :agree:

Tricks to freezing meats. Well this is something I do alot of. For a roast of beef, I save the drippings, or use stock, I slice or cube the beef, then put the meat in a freezer bag and pour in the liquid. I get the air out of the bag with a straw and lay it flat in the freezer. Defrost and drain off the liquid and you can fry this meat in butter, with a little green onion and then add some sour cream or you can stir fry it with broccoli and of course butter.
For Hamburger, a chunk is a hard thing to deal with, I have barbeque patty's and frozen them then let them thaw and put helmans and cheeze whiz with 1tsp of ketchup melted over the top after I microwave them. You can also make a sloppy joe sauce or use canned tomatos and freeze the hamburger in that.
Freezer burn is mainly caused by the water in the meat evaperating and then freezing on the meats edges, if you can keep the air away than, it doesn't happen. So I try to cover my meats in a sauce, I can always drain it off when I need to use them. Also it's a good idea to put them away from the door of the freezer because the heat from opening the door can cause them to thaw a bit, then refreeze, this is the other way you end up with freezer burn.
Hope this is helpful and not too long winded.
Jo-Ann :wiggle:

I suggest separating your bulk meat into meal size portions and packaging to freeze. If at all possible, I'd invest in a vaccuum food sealer. I have the Foodsaver and absolutely love it. Meats can be stored for a long time without freezer burn. There are however many other less expensive ones out there if cost is an issue