How long does frozen meat last in the freezer? Storage conditions and periods

How to properly store frozen meat?

The main food ingredient, which has essential beneficial elements, can be stored for a long time without reducing its taste and nutritional properties. It is important to know how long meat can be stored in the freezer under different conditions.

Preparing meat for storage in the freezer

To ensure that negative changes in meat during storage are minimal, the space in the chamber and the cut itself should be prepared.

For the freezer compartment do:

• Set aside shelf space separate from other supplies;
• The coldest shelf in the freezer compartment is selected;
• If the equipment has a separate freezing function, then turn it on. If not, then set the minimum mode.

The purchased cut or pulp should also be prepared:

• The pieces are cut into pieces of one serving size. It is not advisable to put a large piece into the chamber - it takes a long time to freeze and more benefits are lost. Portioned pieces will freeze faster, and during the cooking process there will be no need to defrost the entire volume of the product.
• The fat is cut from the pulp; it spoils quickly.
• You can first put semi-finished products in the upper compartment of the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
• The pieces are sorted and wrapped in cling film. Packaged semi-finished products are placed in cellophane or zip bags and the air is released from them.

The bird can be cut into pieces at the joints, or it can be stored as a whole carcass. Turkey, as a rule, is a large bird; for storage, it is cut or packed in half of the carcass. If the bird is domestic and not gutted, then you need to remove all the insides.

Do I need to wash meat before freezing?

It is not advisable to wash the pulp or soup bones with water, as this reduces the shelf life. Droplets of water remaining on the surface, when converted into ice, break the fibers, changing the molecular structure of the pulp or bone section. It is better to dab off excess moisture with a paper towel.

How to properly freeze meat in the freezer?

Frozen meat will keep for several months if stored correctly.

Pieces of pork, beef, and poultry prepared and packaged in bags are signed indicating the type of product and the date of sending to the chamber.

Place the bags on the shelf close together; as much air as possible should be released from the bag. This method will maintain a cold temperature for some time in case of a sudden power outage.

It is not recommended to place stocks of vegetables, fruits, dairy and other products on the shelf with semi-finished meat products.

Quick freezing is preferable. At low temperatures (in everyday life -18-25°C), the freezing rate is higher, which means less benefits are lost. With a slow process, freezing from the edges to the center takes longer.

At what temperature should you store meat in the freezer?

Household refrigerators or freezers provide sufficiently low cold environments; for home supplies, maintaining the environment at a level of -18°C to -23°C is a sufficient temperature for storing meat.

Can meat spoil in the freezer?

The product cannot go bad in the sense of “rotten”. Pathogenic microorganisms at low temperatures reduce their vital activity; the lack of oxygen does not contribute to the oxidation process (therefore it is important to create a vacuum in the bag).

But if kept in the chamber for too long, the fibers lose their structure, freeze, protein and lipids (fats) are destroyed, the mass decreases, the color changes, and porosity appears. All this happens under the influence of ice crystals on the fiber structure.

What to do if there is a power outage

No current in the network means that the freezer is not producing cold. Modern models maintain temperature without electricity for up to 3 days. Simpler equipment does not have this function. What to do:

• Use cold packs; they will maintain the temperature for up to 2 days if the door is closed. They are placed in the freezer in advance, preferably immediately with the food.
• Take all the frozen food into a large container, fold it tightly, and place it in the cold or in the shade. Cover the top with jackets and blankets. This will prevent the cold from going away quickly and will maintain the temperature for about a day.
• Rub the melting pieces with a solution of citric acid (on the tip of a teaspoon per 20 ml of water) or salt (1 teaspoon per 200 ml of water), 9% vinegar. This will prevent microorganisms from temporarily multiplying and will extend the shelf life to 10 hours.

Shelf life of frozen meat according to GOST and SanPin

The document regulating the shelf life of frozen meat was published in the RSFSR. This is a letter from the Main State Inspectorate No. 23-1-6/52N dated July 21, 1987. The document indicates the recommended time, conditions and temperature.

On average, the pulp and cut of cattle - pork, beef, lamb - can be stored for up to 8-12 months without losing useful characteristics. Gutted poultry carcasses are tasty and healthy even after 6-8 months spent in the freezer. Minced meat and offal retain the least benefits; they must spend a maximum of 4 months in the chamber.

But we must remember that long-term storage at home is undesirable, since household refrigerators do not provide conditions for a period of more than 2 years.

Meat preparation

The first step is proper cutting and preparation. Products are divided into pieces necessary to prepare one dish. Do not freeze whole chicken or pork. Repeated freezing and thawing damages the fiber structure. There is a loss of vitamins and nutrients. The quality of the product is deteriorating sharply. The shelf life of meat in the freezer and the shelf life of frozen meat must be taken into account.

Both freezing and defrosting must be carried out, observing the rules and subtleties:

1. The freezer space is organized in such a way that pieces and poultry do not come into contact with other food products, which will help avoid the transfer of bacteria from one package to another. This is important when adjacent to vegetables and fruits that do not require further heat treatment.
2. Before freezing, beef, pork or other preparations are not washed - this helps to increase the shelf life of offal and semi-finished products.
3. Place the products, liver and minced meat in different bags, containers or other forms for storage in the freezer. Completely closed containers or packaging (containers, vacuum bags) are suitable.
4. If the surface of beef, pork or poultry is slightly exposed or exposed, "chapping" occurs. As a result, the piece becomes dry and tough and loses its taste. The color of the product will be dark, the surface will be dry and porous.

Conditions and periods of storage of different types of meat

Meat is a perishable product, so it is important to follow the correct steps when preparing for storage and the conditions in the chamber.

We will describe below what regimes should be observed when storing meat or poultry.

Chicken

In order for the carcass or individual parts to lie without loss of usefulness, the chamber must have a humidity of at least 85% and air circulation (in modern models it is done automatically). Bags of product should not be placed on or near the door - tearing them off will change the temperature.

A chicken lasts the longest at -30°C - a whole year, at -18°C - 7 months, at -12°C - 4 months.

Birds cut into pieces are also stored.

Turkey

Requires similar conditions - humidity and air circulation. The residence time depends on the temperature: a year - at -30°C, a little more than six months - at -18°C, 4 months - at -12°C.

Beef

The product can be stored longer than poultry at its maximum storage conditions.

How long can frozen meat or beef cuts be stored in the freezer?

• At -25°C – 18 months;
• At -20°C – 14 months;
• At -18°C – 12 months;
• At -12°C – 8 months.

Do not forget to ensure the humidity level is 85%.

Pork

Pulping and cutting can also last for a long time.

The optimal humidity is maintained at 85%, the temperature in the chamber ensures the following period:

• -12°C – 6 months;
• -18°C – 10 months;
• -20°C – 11 months;
• -25°C – 12 months.

Pork can have good taste and healthy qualities, both in the form of pulp and cut into parts.

Mutton

The cut parts will not lose their useful qualities if the following conditions are provided in the chamber:

• -12°C – stored for 3 months;
• -18°C – 6 months;
• -20°C – 7 months;
• -25°C – 12 months.

Do not forget about humidity and air circulation.

Rabbit

The type of product is distinguished by the tenderness of the fibers and dietary qualities. Storing stocks of rabbit meat takes a period similar to that of poultry carcasses: at the lowest permitted conditions of -30°C - a year, -18°C - 6 months, -12°C - 4 months.

First, the carcass is placed in the main cooling compartment, and then in the freezer compartment.

Vacuum packed meat

Vacuum packaging maintains an environment in which there is no air (it must first be squeezed out or released). Without oxygen, many processes do not occur, which means a vacuum environment better ensures the preservation of taste and benefits. But, in order to avoid poisoning, it is not advisable to keep the cutting longer than the recommended time. The time during which meat is stored in vacuum packaging is the same as when covered with cling film.

General storage table

The shelf life of vacuum-packed meat depends on its type and temperature. According to SanPiN they are:

How long can cooked meat be stored in the freezer?

You need to freeze and store a fresh, just purchased piece. The finished dish is classified as perishable, and not every type of heat treatment will allow it to remain in the chamber without consequences for humans. If there is a need to remove the prepared dish, you need to wrap it in cling film or put it in a container, sealing it with a lid. Having placed it on the shelf, they are guided by the indicators listed below.

How long does fried meat last in the freezer?

Frying in oil significantly reduces shelf life and requires quick consumption. Food standards do not recommend storing fried chicken. For beef and pork, it is possible to keep it frozen - fried cattle meat is stored for 3 months.

How long does boiled meat last in the freezer?

An excessively large portion of cooked meat can be placed in the chamber. But storing ready-boiled meat is only beef and pork; boiled chicken is not recommended. The shelf life of beef or pork is no more than six months.

How long does baked meat last in the freezer?

Using sauces when baking or stewing requires that the dish be consumed as quickly as possible. Storing prepared meat dishes and meat products prepared by baking is not advisable. The juice and sauces in which the piece is located are a favorable environment for rapid spoilage.

How long does smoked meat last in the freezer?

Smoke treatment provides treatment against pathogenic bacteria; the shelf life of the finished product depends on the type of smoking. With the cold method, the delicacy is good for longer than with the hot method (in this case it is juicier). You can put the excess smoked meats in the freezer in a vacuum and leave them there for 2 months, including chicken delicacies, pork and beef.

How long does jerky last in the freezer?

This treatment reduces the amount of liquid in the fibers, thereby prolonging shelf life. Meat can be stored in the freezer for about a year, dried in any way, but it can lose its taste and dry out a lot.

Chilled version

Raw meat can sit for some time before freezing. Veal and pork can survive for two days at temperatures from 0 to -3 degrees. Chilled chicken or rabbit carcass can be stored for the same amount of time under the same conditions. But if you use a regular refrigerator with a small plus inside or the pieces are finely chopped, then only 24 hours.

It is better to remove all packaging elements (film, backing) during storage to avoid the formation of an unpleasant odor. Transfer the meat to a glass or plastic container with a lid, but leave a small gap for air exchange. The chilled product has a place on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator, where there are no other ready-made dishes.

The situation with minced meat is like this: any chilled semi-finished product will be fresh for about a day. Longer storage will ruin the dish, so don’t delay cooking or freezing. Additives in the form of onions, eggs, etc. reduce the storage time of minced meat to 4-5 hours. It is better to close the container with it tightly.