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Shelf life of frozen meat in the freezer. To help the housewife: how much meat can be stored in the freezer

Every experienced housewife has her own secrets regarding how much meat can be stored in the freezer, but beginners who encounter this problem for the first time usually have to remember the existing rules. The shelf life of meat products during freezing depends not only on their type (beef, poultry or pork), but also on the preliminary preparation and cutting of raw materials, the shape and size of the piece, its packaging, the maximum temperature of the chamber and many other factors.

The most popular types of meat products

The most popular types of meat today are considered to be beef and pork, lamb, rabbit and nutria meat, as well as poultry - chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. In addition, by-products are no less popular with buyers: kidneys, liver and heart.

The richest source of amino acids and other nutrients for the body due to improper storage in the freezer can cause intestinal infection. In industrial freezers, butchered carcasses of animals are stored for decades, but at home, the answer to the question of how long meat can be stored in the freezer depends not only on the type of meat product, but also on the technical characteristics of the chamber (lowest possible temperature), the conditions for maintaining cold in it, since long-term power outages (more than three to ten hours) significantly reduce the shelf life of the product and reduce its taste.

How to prepare meat for freezing

The main mistake of inexperienced cooks is to put a whole piece of beef or pork purchased the day before in the freezer compartment. If it later has to be thawed and re-frozen, then the meat is deprived of vitamins and valuable substances, and the dietary fibers become more rigid or loose, and acquire an unpleasant odor. It is better to free the freezer in four to five hours from other stored delicacies, or at least prepare a sufficient area for new packages by turning on the maximum negative temperature (minus 18-24 degrees).

The meat is sorted into offal and pieces of muscle tissue, cutting off fatty fibers along the surface. The duration of how long the meat can be stored in the freezer may be different, due to the size of the pieces, so the product must first be divided into portions. Each of them should correspond in size to one cooking dish in the future. This will allow you to use the right amount of protein product without compromising the quality and organoleptic characteristics of the remaining pieces. If, if possible, the meat is not washed before freezing, then the shelf life will increase significantly. Each of the pieces must be thoroughly blotted from any moisture, wrapped in paper (food wrap or foil), and then placed in a container or bag with a clip, from which air must be removed. Inside the package, you can put a sticker with the date of freezing of the product, which will allow you to further control its shelf life.

About the preparation and storage of minced meat

It is most convenient to roll out the mass of chopped meat with a rolling pin inside a plastic bag and divide it into portioned squares (300-350 g each), pushing the intervals with the edge of the cutting board.

Such a briquette is easy to fold (you can lay paper between the layers) and does not take up extra space in the freezer. In the future, the number of compact plates for making juicy cutlets is easily adjustable. On the advice of experienced chefs, the period of how long you can store meat in the freezer in the form of minced meat is no more than three to four months.

About the bird

Chicken or turkey meat in the form of a whole carcass can be kept frozen for no more than 9-12 months, and this valuable product can be stored in pieces for no more than eight to nine. Moreover, if it was not kept in a modern chamber with deep freezing (minus 20-24 degrees), then even a bird carcass after 6-8 months can acquire an unpleasant aftertaste of old fibers.

The secret of how much meat can be stored in the freezer (from waterfowl - goose or duck), experienced housewives consider a period of 8-12 months. But most of them are inclined to believe that after six months goose or duck carcasses (and pieces) have an unpleasant taste and smell, which cannot be eliminated by any spices.

About beef, pork and lamb

Labeled portioned pieces of these types of meat, sealed in cellophane, if the freezer is equipped with a “quick freeze” mode, can be stored for a different amount of time: beef - no more than 10, lamb - 6, pork - 8 months. Pure fat or pieces of meat sufficiently saturated with it can be kept in the chamber for no more than four months.

Having learned how much frozen meat can be stored in the freezer, it must be remembered that the temperature at which it was cooled must be constant, without further decrease or increase. Only in this case, you can get tasty and healthy beef, lamb or pork for your culinary masterpieces. If the “quick freeze” mode is not provided in the refrigerator, then any type of meat should be stored at a temperature not higher than minus 18 degrees.

When considering the question of how much raw meat can be stored in the freezer, it should be borne in mind that it is better to reduce any recommended periods by subtracting a month from them. Retail chains or butchers do not indicate the delivery time and the time spent by the product in the window, so it is difficult for the buyer to calculate the exact shelf life of meat. Also, experienced housewives remind you that when you put butter, herbs and other products in the freezer with meat briquettes, you need to reduce their shelf life for cooking delicious dishes.

So that the meat does not absorb foreign odors, it is better to wrap it in two plastic bags, tying or sealing them tightly. Gourmets love to order mammoth meat in restaurants, so how many years can meat be stored in the freezer? In fact, the secret of its suitability lies in the fact that the carcasses of animals that have lain for many centuries in permafrost have never been thawed, they were at a constant negative temperature, which is almost impossible to achieve at home. There are examples when people have eaten meat after three years of storage in the freezer, but the risk from such dishes is too great, and their taste is doubtful. Boiled pieces of poultry are also frozen, which are stored in broth or sauce for no more than six months, and without liquid - no more than four months. Ready-made minced meat dishes (meatballs, cutlets) can lie in the freezer for up to three months, steaks - up to nine, and sausages or cooked offal - no more than 60 days. Many cooks are skeptical about this experience, preferring to keep food raw and cook it as needed.

New Year is a great occasion to surprise your loved ones with your culinary skills. At this time, the table is literally bursting with an abundance of delicious dishes and snacks. But as the holiday draws to a close, you may find that not all of the food has been eaten. What to do with the remaining products? Freezing is one possible way. As in any business, there are subtleties here. That is why we wrote an article with the answer to the main question: “How to freeze food?”.

Basic Freezing Rules

1. Only fresh food is suitable for freezing
Please note that the following foods are not recommended for freezing:

tomatoes;
green lettuce;
fresh fruit and vegetable salads;
whole apples;
plums and pears.

2. Carefully prepare food for freezing

Food must be completely cooled before freezing.

Meat
Wait for the meat to cool to room temperature. Divide it into portions if necessary.

Fruit
Rinse fruit thoroughly, remove leaves, seeds, stems and peel if necessary, then freeze.

3. To freeze food properly, pack everything in the right amount.
Maximum weight for one package:

fruits and vegetables - up to 1 kilogram;
meat - up to 3 kilograms;
ready meals - up to 1 kilogram.

4. Use the appropriate freezer packaging
Solid foods (meat, vegetables, baked goods) intended to be defrosted or microwaved should be packed in special freezer bags.

Liquid and soft foods (soups, juices and soft fruit fillings) should be packed in airtight containers so that they can be frozen.

meat (depending on the type) - from 3 to 6 months;
vegetables - from 6 to 12 months;
fruits - from 8 to 12 months;
ready meals - up to 3 months.

Check if frozen food can be cooked right away or if it needs to be thawed first.
Follow the main rule: large cuts of meat, poultry and fish should be completely thawed or at least thawed well before cooking.

Roast

First you need to freeze the food in the container, then take the roast out of the container and wrap it in foil.

Grilled meat

Freeze whole or in individual slices (with foil between them).

Canned stewed meat

Prepare and divide into portions. Pack in airtight containers or special bags to freeze food properly.

Shelf life in the freezer is 3 months.

goose / duck

Remove the giblets, prepare for cooking and pack, and then you can freeze.

Shelf life in the freezer is 2-4 months.

Goulash

Pack in portions not exceeding 3 kilograms in weight.

Shelf life in the freezer is 3-6 months.

Rabbit

Remove the giblets and then package whole or in portions, then freeze the food.

Shelf life in the freezer is 8 months.

Dried pork

Divide into portions that do not exceed 3 kilograms in weight, and then pack.

Shelf life in the freezer is 2-3 months.

Beef rolls

Pack the dish so that the rolls fit snugly together. Don't forget to wrap them in foil and freeze.

In one package, you can place from 6 to 8 rolls.

Shelf life in the freezer is 9-12 months.

red cabbage

Shelf life in the freezer is 8-10 months.

Pork

Please note that meat cut into thin pieces keeps better. Pack in portions weighing no more than 3 kilograms and can be frozen.

Shelf life in the freezer is 4-7 months.

Soups

Freeze the soup in a container first. Then take it out and wrap it in foil for further storage in the freezer.

Shelf life in the freezer is 4-6 months.

In addition, if you do not already have a suitable freezer for storing frozen foods, you can find one.

If you have questions or comments, please write to us. Use the comment form below or join the community discussion

Meat is a valuable protein product containing amino acids, lipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and microelements. Moderate consumption of meat is good for health.

It strengthens bones, maintains muscle elasticity, is involved in strengthening the immune system and metabolic processes. Possessing a high energy value, it is especially indicated for people engaged in hard physical labor and athletes. It replenishes iron stores in the body and normalizes hematopoietic processes.

However, meat is a highly perishable food. And stale or spoiled food can cause serious harm to the body, threatening severe food poisoning. It is extremely important to ensure that the meat is properly stored so that it stays fresh for as long as possible. In this article, we will talk about reliable ways to store this valuable product.

The ideal option is to cook the meat immediately after purchase, but this is not always possible. In this case, try to put the product in the refrigerator as soon as possible. If you plan to use it in the near future, just put it in the main camera. You should keep the product in the refrigerator if the purchase took place immediately after the slaughter of the animal (for example, in a village or on a farm). In this case, he must be allowed to “ripen” for a couple of days so that it becomes soft and juicy.

Store meat in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0 to 5 degrees Celsius. It's a bad idea to put it in the cold on wooden cutting boards. The tree will absorb the sap and it will become dry. Boneless meat will keep longer. So separate them and store them separately. And don't wash the meat. To remove excess liquid, blot it with napkins or paper towels.

Normally, the main refrigerator compartment is kept at a temperature of up to 7°C. Whole pieces can be stored on a shelf with a temperature of:

5 - 7 degrees no longer than 10 hours;
from 0 to 5 degrees - up to a day;
from -4 to 0 degrees - up to 3 days.

Minced meat and minced meat are best used on the day of purchase or frozen. Keep in mind that the meat of young animals (for example, veal) is stored less than adults.

To increase shelf life, wrap a piece in parchment paper greased with vegetable oil.

Poultry meat has its own storage characteristics. Before placing in the cold store, the bird should be placed in a glass dish, a vacuum container or a plastic bag and stored:

at a temperature of 4 to 7 degrees - no more than 48 hours;
from 0 to 4 degrees - up to 3 days;
from -2 to 0 degrees - up to 4 days.

You should not violate the terms of storage. If the period is coming to an end and it is not possible to use the product for food, send it to the freezer.

Storing meat in the freezer

Store in the freezer for pieces that you can use at one time. Place them individually in plastic bags and seal, releasing all air. If you are a lover of natural materials and do not want to use polyethylene, you can store meat in ice. Ice will ensure the safety of all useful properties no worse than the package. For this:

put the piece in the freezer and wait until the frost "grabs" it;
remove and rinse with cold water;
place back in the freezer.

Storage of meat in the freezer at a temperature below -18 degrees is possible up to 1 year. Minced meat and minced meat - up to 3 months. When the temperature rises to -12°C, the time should be reduced by a third. Up to -10°C - half.

The storage of poultry meat has its own characteristics. It is undesirable to store the bird frozen for more than 9 months. Chopped in pieces - frozen for a period of not more than 8 months.

To always know how long the product has been frozen, stick it on the package or place a note inside with the date of placement. Violation of the shelf life leads to the loss of useful and taste qualities. A specific taste of old meat may appear, which is difficult to remove even with spices, and the cooking time will need to be increased.

Always try to defrost meat in a natural way. The best thing is to move it from the freezer to the refrigerator. Slow defrosting will retain all the beneficial properties and taste. You shouldn't do this multiple times. If you defrost a piece, cook the whole.

Storing meat without a refrigerator and freezer

Storing meat without a refrigerator is possible if you know how to do it correctly.

salting

Fresh meat covered with salt is stored for a week. Sprinkle the piece on all sides, put it in a container and completely cover with salt. If there is a lot of meat, lay the pieces in layers, generously sprinkling with salt. Adding a layer of charcoal on top may increase shelf life slightly.

Up to 5 days, you can increase the shelf life of meat outside the refrigerator, if you wrap it in natural fabric and dip it in milk or yogurt.

Meat is stored for a day if you dip it in well-salted water or wrap it in a cloth soaked in vinegar. Lemon will successfully replace vinegar. The effect is no better.

Drying

This is another way to keep meat out of the fridge. Rinse the whole piece well with warm water (up to 30°C), remove grease and strands, dry with paper towels or napkins. Cut into cubes about 1x1 cm. Sprinkle the pieces with spices, add bay leaf and chopped onion, and place under oppression for a day. Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer, salt and send to the oven, heated to 55 ° C for 10 - 12 hours. It is better to use the ventilation mode. The finished product has a dark color, hard and elastic to the touch.

You can use the following method. Prepare and cut the meat as above. Boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and pat dry. Salt, pepper and send to the oven for 8 - 12 hours, setting the lowest temperature. Instead of an oven, you can use a special dryer.

If you decide to dry outdoors, you need to string the pieces so that they do not touch, and hang them so that the sun's rays do not fall. Protect the construction with gauze from insects.

Dried meat is stored for up to 2 months without a refrigerator in a tightly closed container. Before use, it should be boiled for at least 20 minutes. Keep in mind that dried meat will be only 1/3 of the original weight.

canning

For canning, choose only the freshest product and follow the basic rules. Violation of the rules of canning can lead to the development of various bacteria that produce harmful toxins. For example, botulinum, which causes a severe disease - botulism.

Use glass containers with a volume of no more than 1 liter. Wash it well and dry it. Fill with fresh or precooked meat (baked, stewed, etc.). Fill with water or sauce so that at least 2 cm is left to the neck. Place the jars in water and bring to a boil. It is ideal to use an autoclave. At home, instead of an autoclave, you can use a pressure cooker. In it, you can sterilize for 1 - 1.5 hours.

To preserve minced meat or minced meat, you must first process it. Form meatballs and fry until golden brown. You can just fry minced meat. After frying, throw it in a colander to remove excess fat, and place in a glass container. Add broth, tomato or water, leaving 2.5 cm of free space to the neck of the jar. Preservation time - up to one and a half hours, depending on the volume.

If canned food will be stored for 6 months and sterilization takes place at 100°C, it is recommended to repeat it every other day. Store canned food between sterilizations at 20-30°C. If your preservation will be stored at a temperature below 10 degrees, sterilization is repeated after 3 months.

Of particular importance is the tightness of the lids. Glass lids, supplemented with rigid clips, are considered good.

How to save meat on the road

Use a cool bag. It provides freshness for a long time, even in a train, even in a car. If you do not have a bag - a refrigerator, make it yourself.

Take a small box (from sweets, for example) and sheathe it from the inside with foam. Place a couple of plastic bottles with ice on the bottom, with a frozen product on them, and a couple more bottles with ice on top. The structure is bulky and suitable for traveling by car. Try using a thermal pack. Place meat inside and a couple of plastic bottles with ice.

Another way is to freeze a piece, wrap it in vinegar-soaked gauze, and place it in a plastic bag. From above, additionally wrap the bag with two to three layers of newspapers. This method ensures the safety of more than a day.

Meat and meat products are classified as perishable, but sometimes it becomes necessary to stock up on them for future use. With the existing refrigerator, you can not worry about its safety. However, if stored improperly, the taste and nutritional properties of meat can be greatly affected, as well as its structure. Therefore, it is necessary to store meat and meat products in the refrigerator or freezer in compliance with certain rules.

The shelf life of meat products depends on the conditions in which they are stored. These include:

equipment;
storage temperature;
type of meat products;
the size of the pieces;
package.

In the freezer

According to SanPiN, meat in the freezer can be stored at a temperature of -12 to -18 degrees for the following periods:

lamb - 1 year;
pork - 8 months;
beef - 1 year;
chicken - 1 year;
goose, duck, rabbit, turkey - six months.

If these periods are exceeded, the products acquire an unpleasant odor and lose their taste.

Meat should only be defrosted once.

In a refrigerator

Raw beef or pork can be stored refrigerated for two days at a temperature of 0 to -3 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is above 0 degrees, they will lie in the refrigerator for no more than a day.

A whole chicken or rabbit will stay fresh without freezing for two days, and cut into pieces for up to 24 hours.

Rules for storage in the refrigerator:

If a piece is wrapped in a film or bag, they must be removed, otherwise it will rot and acquire an unpleasant smell.
The container should be glass or plastic, it must be covered with a lid, leaving a small gap. The product will "breathe" through it.

Meat products should be stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, and there should not be any dishes next to them.

How to prepare meat for freezing?

To freeze fresh meat, you must follow a few simple rules:

To better preserve the product, the bones should be removed.
Cut pieces into portions should be wiped with a napkin to remove excess moisture. Pieces cannot be washed.
In order for the cut pieces to be stored longer, you need to wrap them in cling film or foil. Before placing in the freezer, all air must be released from the package.
In order to quickly find the right piece, they can be signed. You need to specify the type (beef, pork, game) and the date of freezing.

Frozen products can only be defrosted naturally, without the use of a microwave oven and water - just take a piece out of the freezer and transfer it to the refrigerator overnight. In the morning it will be ready for use.

Storage of semi-finished products and finished products

Semi-finished products and ready meals spoil much faster than fresh products. Therefore, they can be stored in the refrigerator much less:

Pure minced meat without any additives will lie chilled for just a day. If you add onions or other additives to the minced meat, it is not recommended to store it at a temperature of +2 - +4 for more than 4-5 hours. Minced meat can be stored in the freezer for 3-4 months, provided that it is carefully packed in cling film.
Boiled. Boiled blanks can safely lie under the freezer for three days. Before laying, they must be removed from the broth and allowed to drain excess liquid. Then put in a container and cover with a lid to avoid weathering. It is not recommended to freeze boiled meat, because after defrosting it will spoil the taste.
Pickled. The marinated semi-finished product retains its properties for about 7 days, provided that there is no onion in the marinade. It is not recommended to put it in the freezer.
In a vacuum. Vacuum packaging allows you to increase the shelf life of the semi-finished product by several times. Chilled meat in vacuum packaging can be stored for up to 6 days. It will keep in the freezer for up to a year and a half.

The taste of prepared dishes depends on the correct freezing of products. Therefore, you should try to follow all the rules for storing and freezing meat products.

It is difficult to unequivocally answer the question of how long meat can be stored in the freezer. Many housewives immediately send products to the camera after purchase and use them as needed, without even paying attention to the deadlines. In fact, storing meat is a rather complicated process. For example, if a chicken or other poultry is kept at a negative temperature as much as beef, its palatability will noticeably suffer. In addition, every housewife should know how to properly organize the freezing of chilled meat, how much it can be kept in the refrigerator before that.

When deciding how much and how to store meat in the freezer, first of all, you need to pay attention to the temperature at which it will be carried out. Regardless of whether chicken is to be stored or beef, the following maximum aging times should be kept in mind:

At temperatures from 0 to -6ºС, the product will remain fresh for no more than 2 days.
Under conditions from -6 to -12ºС, the component will remain edible for 4 months.
If you keep the products at -12..-18ºС, they can hold out in their original state for up to 8 months.

Tip: Cuts of chilled meat when stored in the refrigerator should be brushed with a little vegetable oil to maintain their texture. If such a product must then be sent to the freezer, the oil must be completely washed off, otherwise it prevents the component from freezing evenly.

At a temperature of -18..-24ºС, products can be kept in the freezer for up to a year, but this does not guarantee the preservation of their original conditions.

In addition, the shelf life of meat depends on the type of product. If beef and lamb do not go bad in the freezer for a year, then chicken and turkey are recommended to be consumed at least 10 months in advance. The shelf life of pork, despite its fat content, does not exceed 8 months. Rabbit, duck, goose (and other waterfowl) should be used within six months after freezing. If you keep the product longer, it will not deteriorate, but its taste characteristics will noticeably suffer, the meat will have an unpleasant odor.

How to properly freeze a product?

Despite the fact that freezing chilled or fresh meat is a simple manipulation, even when it is carried out, annoying mistakes can be made.

Be sure to rinse the product under cold running water. If the surface of the meat becomes lighter during cooking, the water is too warm. Next, remove excess moisture with a napkin.
If a component can lie in a whole piece in the refrigerator, then it is better to cut it into portioned pieces before sending it to the freezer. Freezing will be faster, and the fibers will freeze more evenly.
Each serving should be wrapped in cling film, parchment paper or foil. After that, the blanks should be decomposed into bags or containers.
Be sure to sign the package or put a sticker in it indicating the type of meat, the date of laying, the duration of the shelf life.

It remains to place the products in the freezer and wait for them to freeze. After that, you should check at what temperature the product will be stored in order to exclude the possibility of spoilage due to error.

Important points for storing meat

Experts do not recommend purchasing an initially frozen product. It is better to buy chilled chicken or tenderloin and freeze it yourself. Firstly, this will make sure that the freezing was carried out correctly. Secondly, it will be possible to accurately detect the allowable storage time, because it is impossible to determine how long the component has lain in the refrigerator of a meat factory or store.

In addition, you need to remember the following:

A momentary power outage will not adversely affect chicken or other meats. If the process drags on and takes from 3 to 10 hours, all meat products must be removed from the freezer, smeared with vinegar or citric acid, and removed to the coolest place. For example, in the bathroom, with the lights off and cold water collected in several containers (it is better to cover them with lids so that the humidity does not rise much).
There are several other ways to keep meat fresh for 8-10 hours. It can be put into milk or curdled milk, wrapped in a cloth soaked in water with salt or salicylic acid solution.
In the refrigerator at a temperature of 0 to 4ºС, meat can be kept for no more than 12 hours. At the same time, it should not be in a bag, but in a plastic, glass or enameled dish under a lid in the form of a wet towel.

Semi-finished meat products such as homemade sausage or saltison are not recommended to be kept in the freezer for more than 2 months. As for minced meat and various offal, they should be used within 4 months after freezing.