Beef blood dripping on other food, freezer burn that would make an icicle look tasty,
and thawing meat like a novice – these are a few things to avoid doing when freezing ground beef.
One of the biggest mistakes you could be making when freezing ground beef is
not having a freezer that is maintaining the correct temperature. According to the USDA,
a temperature of 0 degrees Fahrenheit will prevent microbial growth in meat,
allowing ground beef to be stored for long periods. As the temperature of
ground beef rises above 0 degrees Fahrenheit, it becomes fertile ground for microorganisms.
Because maintaining a safe temperature is so critical,
it is a good idea to keep a freezer thermometer in your freezer and periodically check it to
ensure the temperature is not rising above 0 degrees Fahrenheit. If your freezer is not
able to maintain this critical temperature, it could be due to several different reasons.
The first thing to check is if your freezer door is remaining ajar or not
staying closed. You should also check to see if the contents of your freezer are blocking
the air circulating fan. It's also possible your freezer has a mechanical malfunction.
If you suspect this is the case, you should call a repair professional.
Maintaining the temperature of your freezer is also an issue during power outages. The
Department of Energy notes a freezer should be able to keep ground beef safe for 48 hours as
long as the door is kept closed to retain the cold air. Once the temperature of the freezer reaches
40 degrees Fahrenheit, ground beef will only last for two hours before it is unsafe to eat.
Arguably, the biggest concern when it comes to freezing ground beef is avoiding freezer burn.
The process that causes freezer burn starts when thousands of ice crystals form as food
is frozen. Over time, these frozen water molecules move from the frozen piece of
food to a colder part of the freezer, typically the side. As frozen water molecules are lost,
the food becomes dehydrated, resulting in freezer burn.
One method to prevent freezer-burned ground beef is to keep those frozen water molecules contained
with tight packaging. Start by wrapping your ground beef in plastic wrap. Next,
wrap it with aluminum foil. Finally, put the wrapped ground beef into a plastic bag.
Another effective way to prevent air exposure is to use a vacuum sealer. According to PacFood,
its vacuum seal system can keep ground meat fresh for one year, and non-ground for longer,
while FoodSaver says its vacuum seal system can keep meat fresh for two to
three years — about two to four times longer than ordinary storage methods.
Because the quality of frozen ground beef can deteriorate after a couple of months, you should
plan accordingly. If you are buying ground beef in bulk and freezing it, only buy enough meat you
think you can consume within three or four months. While you can safely consume meat that has been
frozen for more than four months, the quality of ground beef will deteriorate the longer you wait.
You can also avoid keeping ground beef frozen for too long by using a first-in, first-out system,
as noted by Gordon Food Service. Start by making sure all of your frozen ground
beef is labeled with the date on which it was frozen. Move the most recently frozen
packages to the rear of your refrigerator and place the oldest packages toward the
front. Use frozen beef from the front of the freezer and work your way backward.
Maintain this chronological rotation as you use frozen beef and add fresh beef
to your freezer. Regularly inspect dates and throw
out older frozen beef if it is covered in ice crystals or appears discolored.
There's a myth about a refrigerator not capable of safely cooling food that's too
warm. Although this myth isn't true, you should stop putting hot food directly into a freezer.
If you place freshly cooked, hot food – including ground beef – into a freezer, it could cause other
foods in the freezer to defrost, potentially allowing microorganisms to proliferate. Hot food
also takes longer to freeze, and this could mean a food item spends too much time at temperatures
that are hospitable to bacteria, which is 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the FDA.
The proper way to freeze cooked ground beef is to cool it slowly. Start by
allowing your cooked beef to come down from its cooking temperature so that it
can safely be placed in a container. Then place it in the refrigerator.
After the beef has cooled in the refrigerator, tightly wrap it and place it into freezer bags.
Label the bags to ensure you are cooked beef does not remain in the freezer for too long.
The recommended method for thawing raw meat is to allow it to slowly defrost in the refrigerator
over the course of 24 hours. You should also place your defrosting meat on a large sheet
pan or plate that can catch any potential leaks of raw meat juices. This plate or pan
should then be placed at the bottom of the refrigerator in case it happens to overflow.
While this process is largely foolproof, sometimes we forget to pull frozen meat
out of the freezer one day in advance. In these situations, it may be tempting to skip
the recommended method and completely defrost frozen ground beef at room temperature. However,
this is one of the biggest mistakes people make when defrosting meat.
A refrigerator keeps defrosting meat outside the dangerous temperature zone that facilitates
bacterial growth, which ranges from 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to the National Agriculture Library, it is safe to jump-start your defrost at room
temperature, but you should only do so for less than two hours. After two hours,
you should move your defrosting meat to the refrigerator to complete the process.
There's nothing disastrous about freezing multiple
pounds of ground beef as a single block, but unless you're cooking it all at once,
safely defrosting the amount you need will be very tricky.
A simple, elegant solution to this is pre-portioning your ground beef before
cooking it. According to Weight Watchers, the ideal serving size for cooked meat is 3 ounces.
Because ground beef loses about 25% of its weight during cooking,
each freezer-bound portion should be 4 ounces. For meal prep purposes,
simply multiply 4 ounces of raw meat per the number of people in your household.
Someone prepping for a household of three, for instance, should measure out 12-ounce portions.
Lifehacker offers a clever hack for creating multiple individual portions in the same
large freezer bag. Start by portioning out a dinner's worth of ground beef,
such as 12 ounces for a three-person household.
Next, flatten out the ground beef – you can even make them into burger patties.
The flattened portions or patties will defrost much quicker and are
less likely to contain air pockets, which can facilitate freezer burn.
"Hamburgers! The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast."
Be sure to tightly seal and mark your freezer bag. Since this process doesn't
involve tightly wrapping the ground beef, it's best for short-term freezing.
One of the biggest concerns related to storing raw meat is cross-contamination. If blood from
your raw meat drips onto other food products like ice cream containers or popsicles,
there is a risk that any pathogens in the blood will multiply in them.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, raw ground beef can harbor tons
of bacteria. Hence, any juices from raw meat can carry these pathogens.
Furthermore, any containers that have not been properly cleaned can
pass residual bacteria along if used to store raw meat. In significant quantities,
these bacteria can cause severe illness and even death.
"It's food poisoning. I have it too. I did not
sleep for one second last night. And I cracked the bottom of the toilet bowl."
Restaurants prevent cross-contamination by organizing and keeping raw meat
in either its original package or clean, sanitized containers that prevent leakage.
You also shouldn't store raw and cooked foods together,
even in your freezer. Store raw ground beef at the bottom of your freezer.
If for some reason any liquid leaks out, it won't drip onto other foods.
Freezing cooked ground beef is a great technique for weekly meal prep. It's important to note
that one of the common mistakes everyone makes with meal prep is batch cooking just one dish.
To avoid this mistake, you should either cook several dishes at once or cook your ground beef so
that it can be used in several different ways. For example, if you cook ground beef with just salt,
black pepper, and onions, it could be used to make tacos one night and stir fry the next night.
After cooking your ground beef for different dishes,
or with generic seasoning, allow it to cool, first on a counter for about 20 minutes,
and then in a refrigerator. Once the cooked ground beef has reached refrigerator temperature,
it should be wrapped tightly and transferred to freezer bags. When
you're ready to use your ground beef, simply thaw it in your refrigerator and reheat it.
When cooking with ground beef, a key part of the preparation is allowing the meat to warm
up slightly at room temperature so that you aren't throwing cold meat into a pan.
Getting a good sear on your meat helps to develop a lot of flavors,
and when you add cold meat to a hot pan, it's difficult to get a good sear. Additionally,
adding a lot of cold meat to a pan can significantly bring down the
temperature of the pan, potentially throwing off your cooking process.
If you're cooking burgers, cooking them cold also
makes it more difficult to ensure the inside is cooked properly.
You also don't want to cook room-temperature ground beef. Not only are you running the
risk of food poisoning, but you are also increasing the chances of overcooking your
meat and drying it out. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay recommends leaving a steak on
the counter for 20 minutes before cooking it, and this also works for cooking ground beef.
"That's good advice."