Freezers have been around for centuries and can keep meat indefinitely, but it may not taste good after six months due to freezer burn. Follow guidelines, freeze before use by date, defrost in the fridge, mark with freeze date, and clean the freezer twice a year.
Freezers, somehow, have been around for many centuries. Storing meat inside a freezer is a great way to ensure the meat doesn’t rot. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to keep meat inside a freezer indefinitely, although you may not want to eat meat that has been frozen for many years.
The main reason it’s not a good idea to store meat longer than six months has nothing to do with product safety. Instead, eating meat that has been frozen for more than six months is simply not going to taste good. Thanks to freezer burn and other factors, older frozen meats lose their taste and become rather stringy. There are some guidelines that must be followed before freezing any type of meat or other food.
First, be sure to freeze all meats before the “use by” date listed on the package. Otherwise, the product you want to freeze may be spoiled before you even put it in the freezer. Afterwards, don’t defrost meats only to freeze them again. This cycle of thawing and freezing will encourage bacteria to grow, which could make you ill. The only time you can safely thaw and freeze meat twice is if the product was thoroughly cooked after the first thaw. Once an item has been cooked and frozen, do not thaw it and re-freeze it.
When defrosting any food product, place the product inside the refrigerator to defrost it. While you can also use a microwave to defrost an item, thawing meat slowly by placing it in the refrigerator will ensure a quality product. By making sure that the product is tightly wrapped and placed on a plate or other container, you can be sure that any juice from the product does not run onto other foods that may be inside the refrigerator.
The best way to ensure frozen foods are not past their prime is to mark any frozen product once it has been wrapped. Using a large permanent marker, write down the product name and freeze date. This way, you can simply take a look at a product to determine if the item needs to be kept for a longer period of time. To ensure that all items placed in your freezer are fresh, it’s a good idea to get into the habit of cleaning out your freezer twice a year.
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