Freezing Meat And Poultry

Wrap good quality meat securely using these tips.

The quality of frozen meat depends on the quality of the meat you choose, the way it is prepared for the freezer, and the quality of the wrapping materials you use.

When you freeze meat and poultry, you are freezing expensive foods. You will want to do a good job of preparing meat for the freezer to be sure you get your money's worth when the meat comes out of the freezer.

Freeze meat while it is fresh and in top condition. The quality of the meat will not improve in the freezer. The meat you buy at the grocery store usually is not wrapped in moisture-vapor-proof freezer materials. Remove the cello-phane and the paper or styrofoam plate and rewrap the meet for freezing.

Be sure you buy the right kind of wrapping material.

Choose a moisture vapor-proof wrap so that you can seal out air and seal in moisture. There are several good wraps on the market. Pliable wraps such as freezer foil and transparent moisture vapor-proof wraps and certain types of plastic bags are good for wrapping bulky, irregularly shaped meats. Freezer papers, waxed coated cartons and laminated freezer paper are good for some cuts of meat. Casserole dishes containing meat sometimes are frozen in the dish in which they will be reheated or baked.

As you prepare the meat for freezing, trim off excess fat and remove bones whenever it's practical. There's nothing wrong with freezing the bone, except that it takes up more space in the freezer.

You should not add salt to the meat because it shortens the storage life of the meat. On the other hand, spices and freshly ground pepper prolong the freezer life of ground pork.

When you're freezing poultry, remove the giblet. Separate the liver and freeze it separately, and never stuff poultry before you freeze it.

You'll probably want to wrap your food in "family sized" packages, but remember not to over-do it. Smaller packages freeze more quickly and defrost faster than larger ones. When you wrap several chops, patties or individual pieces of meat together put double thicknesses of wax paper between them so they'll be easier to separate while they're thawing.

Wrap the meat tightly pressing out as much air as you can. One of the most popular methods of wrapping is called the drug store wrap.

Here's how it's done.

Place the food in the center of a sheet of foil or laminated paper. Bring the edges of the sheet together over the meat. Fold the paper over to make a lock fold. Continue the fold, drawing the wrapping tightly around the food and then, press the fold flat against the food. Fold in both ends of the wrapping, excluding as much air as possible. Air left in the packages causes meat to dry out. Also, the oxygen in the air will cause the fat to oxidize which results in an off-flavor in the meat. Fold the ends over the seal with freezer tape.

If you use plastic bags…

Squeeze out as much air as you can, then twist the top tightly and close it with a rubber band or the fasteners which came with the bags. Label the package properly. Be sure to include the kind of meat, poultry or fish, the cut, the weight, or number of servings and the date.

Freeze meat at once, at zero degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Leave some air space between the packages when you first put the meat in the freezer. Your home freezer is not designed to freeze several hundred pounds of meat at one time. If you're freezing more than five percent of the freezer capacity at one time, it is best to have the meat frozen rapidly at a locker plant before storage.

Putting in more than the recommended amount at one time raises the temperature to above zero degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, slow freezing takes place and large ice crystals form in the meat, causing the tissue to break down. Then, when you thaw it, the juices seep out.

You should check your freezer storage chart for suggested maximum storage times. Frozen meat will be best if it's used before the maximum time indicated.

For more information on freezing meat and poultry, contact your local county Extension office.