Some meat lovers prepare and freeze this product in large quantities for a long time. But not every piece is able to wait its turn while remaining fresh, i.e., without losing its nutrients and taste. Therefore, you need to know how long you can store meat in the freezer. The duration of this process will depend on the type of product and the temperature inside the unit.
Should you wash meat before cooking?
The Department of Agriculture does not recommend washing meat or poultry before cooking it.
Generally speaking, washing can be a helpful way to remove bacteria. For example, it is recommended to wash your hands regularly to get rid of bacteria that accumulate throughout the day. This advice also applies to certain foods, such as fresh produce. Foods such as fruits or vegetables may have dirt and bacteria on the surface. Running cold water over fresh produce will help clean it, making the food ready to eat.
Bacteria are present on the surface of raw meat and poultry.
Campylobacter and Salmonella are two forms of bacteria that commonly contaminate meat and poultry. Trying to wash blood off meat may spread these bacteria to other utensils or surfaces. They can also transfer to a person's hands and clothing or come into contact with other foods.
It is not always possible to notice when this cross-contamination occurs and it is difficult to clean up. Cross contamination can introduce bacteria into the body and cause intestinal illnesses such as food poisoning. It is difficult to remove some types of bacteria from raw meat and poultry, even if you wash them several times.
Some people soak meat in salt water before cooking it, but this does not affect food safety and there is still a risk of cross-contamination when handling water and meat during this process.
If people want to soak meat, it is best to do it in the refrigerator. Cooking meat and poultry at high temperatures is enough to kill all bacteria. People should aim to cook meat to an internal temperature of at least 63°C. This can be measured using a food thermometer.
Types of meat by degree of cooling
Chilled, frozen and frozen meat goes on sale. The steam room retains its properties (temperature within +35...38°C, aroma, elasticity) only for 1.5 hours after slaughter, therefore it does not fit in the refrigerator. All other categories are stored under the following conditions.
- Chilled.
Its temperature ranges from 0...+4°C. The meat completely retains its original properties, the muscle mass is quite elastic - the not deep, slightly frozen crust prevents the evaporation of moisture. The product is brought to this state in a refrigeration chamber with a temperature not lower than 0°C. A crust forms when stored on refrigerated racks. - Frozen meat.
Initially, it is briefly placed in the freezer, where the carcass freezes no more than 25% of its volume. Next it is stored in the refrigerator. It is possible to prepare and store frozen meat using one chamber with a wide temperature range. First, the temperature in it drops to freeze the carcass, and then increases to optimal values for storage. - Frozen.
It is a deep-frozen product with a temperature of muscle mass not higher than -8°C. A whole or pre-cut carcass is immediately placed in the freezer, where it is stored. Low temperature chambers are used for this purpose.
At meat processing plants, cooling and freezing chambers are installed for storing whole and cut carcasses. Their dimensions, design, and set of cooling equipment are selected depending on the volume being processed and the type of product. For example, cattle meat is frozen at lower temperatures than poultry meat and requires large volumes and special hangers and racks.
Should you wash meat before freezing?
There is no need to wash meat before freezing it. This may increase the risk of cross-contamination in the same way as before cooking. Once the meat is defrosted again, cooking will kill any bacteria anyway.
People can freeze any meat. Storing food at a constant temperature of -17°C will preserve it indefinitely. At this temperature, the bacteria will become dormant, and in this state they are harmless and unable to grow. Thawing and eating frozen meat is safe after any period of time.
However, the quality and taste deteriorate over time. Once meat is thawed, bacteria can grow on it at the same rate as before it was frozen. Therefore, it is best to quickly cook and eat meat after defrosting. It is important to avoid freezing any meat that is not fresh.
Proper freezing of the product
It is important to know not only how long meat can be stored in the freezer, but also how to store it accurately. It's easy to follow the recommended steps. They, in turn, will help preserve the taste of your favorite dishes .
- For long-term storage, it is better to purchase meat raw rather than immediately frozen. This is a guarantee that the product will not be re-frozen.
- If you need to store fresh meat, it should first be cooled well at a temperature of +4 to 0 degrees, and then sent to a chamber with more “strict” conditions.
- The pieces should not be too large, as this will prevent the pulp from freezing quickly. It is better to determine the approximate serving size for one preparation and distribute each portion separately.
- The meat should be wrapped in parchment or foil and then placed in a plastic bag. It must be tied tightly or a special sealer must be used. This device is already widely used by housewives. The multilayer shell has a positive effect on the further shelf life of the product.
- In order not to forget what is where and when the product was frozen, you should leave an inscription on the bag or stick a paper sticker.
- You should not wash meat before freezing, it will begin to spoil faster and will not last long.
Should you wash meat before marinating?
For the same reasons as above, it is not recommended to wash meat before marinating it, as this increases the risk of cross-contamination and is not sufficient to remove all bacteria. Instead, a person can place the meat directly into the marinade, making sure the marinade covers it completely.
Creating small holes with a fork allows the marinade to enter the meat. It is safe to marinate meat for several days in the refrigerator before cooking it. To avoid cross-contamination, a person can use plastic bags to marinate meat and throw them away after use.
As with other methods, it is important to thoroughly clean everything that comes into contact with the meat. It's also best to avoid using excess marinade as a sauce unless the person cooked it first.
Meat cooling technologies
Before placing in the refrigerator, the carcass must be subjected to primary sanitary treatment. Next, whole, halved or quartered carcasses are hung on hooks in the refrigerator compartment. The temperature should be the same at all points. Stagnation of air is excluded - its uniform movement and airflow are required.
To equip refrigeration chambers in which meat is cooled but not subjected to intense freezing, medium-temperature refrigeration units are used. They are selected depending on the volume of the chamber and the processed products. A prerequisite for its proper operation is filling it in strict accordance with the dimensions - overload leads to an increase in temperature and poor ventilation. This immediately affects the quality of the product. Microclimate parameters are set depending on the cooling rate.
- Slow
. Treatment time is 30-36 hours, optimal humidity is 87-97%, air speed is 0.1-0.3 m/s. Under these conditions, the meat is brought to a muscle mass temperature of +2...4°C. Shrinkage ranges from 0.8 to 2.6% depending on the method of cutting the carcass. - Accelerated.
Lowering the temperature to 0°C and increasing the air speed to 0.5 m/s significantly speeds up the process. Accelerated cooling under these conditions takes 24 hours, but shrinkage is at least 1.5% of the original volume. - Intense.
Tunnel refrigeration chambers create temperatures from -3 to -12°C and air speeds from 0.8 to 2 m/s. Under such conditions, cattle carcasses are cooled in 6-12 hours. Processing time directly depends on the batch size, the temperature inside the chamber and the finished product.
Risks
Cross contamination is a major risk of washing meat and poultry. Bacteria present in meat and poultry can cause illness if they enter the body.
Campylobacter bacteria can grow on many types of meat. Campylobacter infection is the leading bacterial cause of gastroenteritis, an infectious form of diarrhea, in the world. The most common symptom of this infection is diarrhea, which often contains blood. Other symptoms include: abdominal pain, fever, headache, nausea, vomiting. These symptoms usually last for 3–6 days.
Another bacteria that is commonly found in meat is salmonella. Symptoms of a Salmonella infection are similar to those of Campylobacter infections. In some cases, Salmonella infections can be serious and people may even require hospital treatment. These cases are more common in people with weakened immune systems, older adults, and children under 5 years of age.
Is chlorinated meat safe?
It is common practice for producers to clean chickens with chlorine after slaughter, in a process called pathogen reduction treatment.
Some people are concerned about the safety of eating chlorine-washed meat and wash it to remove the chlorine. However, this is not necessary. According to the European Food Safety Authority, there are “no safety concerns” when eating meat after chlorination. Research backs up this claim, so people shouldn't worry. They don't have to wash meat that has been treated with chlorine by the manufacturer. In fact, as we explained in the rest of the article, it's best not to wash it.
Beef
Studies have shown that various freeze-thaw combinations reduced the size of beef steak when cooked. The researchers also found that the combination of freezing, thawing and aging the steaks increased the tenderness of the meat compared to fresh steaks that were aged but not frozen. In addition, research has found that the less time meat is re-used in the freezer, the less negative effects there will be on the quality of the product.
Conclusion
You should never wash meat and poultry. Whether it occurs before cooking, freezing, or pickling, washing can lead to cross-contamination.
Cross contamination is when bacteria spreads from meat to other areas such as hands and kitchen surfaces.
Proper cooking of meat and poultry will kill all bacteria. Washing them beforehand only increases the risk of infection. Cross contamination can lead to bacterial infections that have a range of symptoms. For some people the effects may be more serious. For example, children under 5 years of age may require hospital treatment for Salmonella infections.
Subsequent defrosting
For meat to be tasty , it needs to be defrosted correctly. Heating devices such as a microwave will definitely ruin the product. Thawing it in water is also not advisable; a lot of nutrients pass into it. Defrosting should take place under natural conditions. It is better to place meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, just like chilled meat, and keep it away from prepared foods.
In case of power outages, you need to be alert. A power outage lasting up to 3 hours will not harm the meat in the freezer. If the process takes a long time, it is better to take it out, remove all the bags and treat it with vinegar to prevent the formation of bacteria. Then place in the coolest place.
If you monitor the contents of the freezer and perform simple manipulations before placing meat products in it, then an unpleasant odor, which usually spreads throughout the entire refrigerator, will not appear. Fresh and tasty dishes are always more pleasant to eat than stale foods that are harmful to health .
