Monitoring Desk
Eidul Azha is right around the corner, which means loads of meat! However, no one can be expected to eat it all at once and most of us end up storing it instead, but what is the right way to store meat?
Here’s our simple guide to storing meat, complete with everything you need to know for raw and cooked meat storage.
Good Things Come in Small Packages
Make sure to place small quantities of meat into a air tight bags and label them for the date it was kept in the freezer.
Mind the Time
Red meat can be frozen up to three months, however, what will ensure the marbling and texture of the meat stays intact after freezing is how quickly it freezes. Here you must bear in mind two important tasks, the first is to quickly freeze meat that you don’t plan on using immediately and to ensure that your freezer is at -18 degrees Celsius so that the meat freezes quicker.
Thawing Meat
Meat has to be thawed fully before it can be cooked in order to avoid any risk of illness and contamination. However, sometimes you may not have the time to wait until the meat thaws naturally. In this case, place your air tight bag into a vat of cold water, replace the water every half an hour to ensure the right temperature and wait until the meat thaws.
Re-freezing Meat
It is not safe to re-freeze meat you have already thawed. If you do so, you will put yourself at risk of food poising and other bacteria. The only way to store meat that has already thawed is to cook it first.