Meat: defrosting, preservation in the refrigerator and in the freezer

Great care is required when purchasing and storing meats in the refrigerator and freezer. Refrigeration, meat in the freezer, proper defrosting of meat and never quick defrosting of minced meat, all need special attention. Many times you ask me: can I cook frozen meat? can i put the meat from the freezer in the oven? No, I will tell you and I will analyze everything in detail below.

How many days does meat keep in the fridge?
This depends on the size of the piece. A small piece of fresh meat around 1 to 1.5 kg can be stored for up to 2 days. While a large one over 2 kg, it is preserved for up to 4 days in a bowl with a grill, so that it does not stagnate in its liquids and always with a lid, placed on the coldest bottom shelf of the refrigerator at 2 °C.

Meat preservation outside the refrigerator
Never leave fresh meat out of the fridge, not even for hours. The gradual growth of bacteria in raw meat will spoil the product and make it dangerous.

When the meat smells weird
When the meat has a strong smell, when its color changes, when you feel a sticky film to the touch, then we are talking about spoiled meat, unsuitable for any use. The dangers of raw meat if not stored properly are great.

Meat in the freezer
First of all, you need to keep your meat at the right temperature in the freezer, at -18 °C.
Do not store meat in the freezer for more than a reasonable amount of time. Freezing is not storage. Leave the meat in the freezer for a maximum of 2 months. Consume it as soon as you can. It is also maintained above but there is no reason to leave it that long.
Do not put the meat from the freezer into the oven because of the cinnamon. As the meat was slowly frozen and frozen, in the same way it must be gradually thawed. And it must defrost properly, in the maintenance of the refrigerator gradually and slowly. Meat bacteria slept in the freezer at the low temperature of -18 °C, but there is always the risk of them having a party if you don't thaw frozen animal products properly. The method of defrosting in the refrigerator is the safest, for the sole reason that the low temperature of 2 °C that the bottom meat preservation shelf must have does not allow bacteria to grow on its surface.

Never defrost and refreeze!
When we thaw a material we never refreeze it, not even when it is cooked. Must be consumed immediately!

For the correct defrosting of meat
Put the meat in a large glass or stainless steel container to collect the liquids from the gradual defrosting. Always cover with a lid. We always let it thaw in the refrigerator at a constant temperature until it thaws completely. And the defrosting time always depends on the size of the meat. Never in a bowl of water and at room temperature, because bacteria grow.
Frozen food that we have defrosted must be consumed within 24 hours of defrosting.
Caution! When thawing meat in refrigerator storage, none of its liquid should drip into the refrigerator, shelves, or other food.

3 mistakes in defrosting food
Basins of cold water that you dip the frozen products into.
Frozen meat, left overnight on the kitchen counter.
Meat from the freezer in the oven at a low temperature to thaw.
All 3 are expressly and unequivocally prohibited!

What should I look for when buying meat? Basic hygiene and maintenance rules

1. First of all we should have absolute trust in our butcher and the image of the store should appeal to us from the first moment. A good butcher should be able to answer our questions, as any good professional does.

2. The meat we buy must be stored in the fridge as soon as possible. We check the temperature of the refrigerator. The ideal shelf temperature for meat is 2°C.

3. We do not leave fresh meat, minced meat or poultry for a long time in the car or at room temperature, after shopping especially on hot days.

4. Always handle raw meat with gloves so as not to transfer germs to the utensils.

5. We must use a special cutting board for raw meats, which we will disinfect after each use.

6. If we cut meat with a knife, we must not use the same knife to cut another material. Thorough cleanliness is important after any contact with raw meat, poultry or minced meat.

7. Avoid leaving the meat between 5 and 6 degrees C. Bacteria grow at these temperatures. That's why when we heat or freeze a meat we have to do it as quickly as possible. That is, we do not leave the cooked meat for 5 hours at room temperature and then put it in the refrigerator. This should be done as soon as possible.

8. If we buy packaged meat, always check the expiration date.

9. If we don't use all the meat we bought, store it in a clean container preferably with an internal grill (not on paper with pooling blood) for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Or even better cover it well and freeze it.

10. Never reheat cooked meat more than once.