How to Thaw and Cut Up Ground Beef

This post may contain affiliate links. If yous click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may earn a committee. Also, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Do you oft visit the huge box stores to buy items in big quantities? Have you always gotten a really good buy on ground beef in a large corporeality but didn't have the fourth dimension to pause information technology into patties earlier you dropped it in the freezer? Not the best plan.

Have you ever tried to detect a recipe that uses a five-pound cake of basis beef? Didn't think so!

So, you know the result: a big block of icy ground beef. But practise you know how to cut frozen footing beefiness into smaller, more usable quantities? The respond is … not very easily.

You have many options at this point. This commodity will cover your options, give you several important ground beef handling reminders, and then give you ideas on how to separate up your ground beef before you freeze it.

You Take Frozen Ground Beef: At present What?

ane – Cutting it Carefully with a Knife

This approach to cutting is not an like shooting fish in a barrel task, or there would be no content when you lot searched for this question. The point is: this task is challenging to do.

The possibility of injury is high. The difficulty level is high, equally well.

Don't take a big butcher pocketknife and hack abroad until y'all cut off what you need. That is like a huge mess waiting to happen. Or worse nonetheless, an injury in progress.

No knife will attain this job. You will see tales of people who tried this who did not get injure but ended upwardly breaking their blade.

While you are using a sharp pocketknife, hopefully, a serrated pocketknife, hold the frozen beef firmly on a cutting board and saw dorsum and along slowly. Think of it as a ho-hum and steady cutting process.

This approach as well works all-time if you are cutting off a piece that is only one to 2 inches thick.

This job of holding and sawing the meat is likewise going to vary a bit according to the actual shape the meat has been frozen in.

Is it in a rectangular package that is apartment and non very thick? Or is it one of those round tubes that will make it more than of a challenge to concur while you cut?

Again, choose this option carefully, only if you take slap-up care, have a good pocketknife, and can hold it with a firm grip!

ii – Partially Defrost the Meat

Although this is not the best way, y'all can take one terminate of the ground beef and place information technology under cold water for a few minutes until it is easier to cut.

Y'all will still need to take intendance equally in option 1 to hold the meat carefully and use a good knife.

The goal is to slice what you lot demand and then return the carefully rewrapped meat to your freezer as apace as possible.

Information technology is recommended that you let the meat you cut off thaw in your refrigerator the residuum of the way.

iii – Thaw the Meat in the Fridge and Refreeze What You Don't Demand

This approach has two benefits. You can thaw your meat as recommended in your fridge and then y'all can refreeze what you lot don't need.

Now many people ask, "Tin can you practise that? Tin can you lot refreeze meat?" The answer is aye.

Run across the food prophylactic recommendations below equally provided by the FDA almost how to accept care of refreezing meat. Notation that it is only for the meat that has been thawed in the fridge.

This thawing in the refrigerator approach is an advantage because you can refreeze the meat in smaller portions if you lot like.

Plus, this arroyo is safe as long as you follow the directions for thawing, every bit noted below.

The potential issues with this arroyo involve the meat losing some desired texture and, potentially, taste from thawing and refreezing.

four – Use a Microwave to Thaw Earlier Cutting

This approach is recommended only if you want to use the whole frozen portion of meat anyway.

You might ask, "Why can't the meat be thawed and and then refreeze the meat just as in option 3?" The problem is that most of the time the meat begins to cook as yous thaw it, and that is not desirable to refreeze.

Partially cooked meat that is then refrozen becomes a bacteria problem. You don't want that!

5 – Thaw Frozen Footing Beef in a Multifunctional Pressure Cooker

This pressure level cooker option is another arroyo only for those who desire to use the entire basis beefiness block you have frozen.

Follow the directions carefully on the cooker that yous own. You can thaw it this way earlier cutting information technology to use as needed.

This method of cooking ground beefiness from frozen works with upward to two pounds of meat (approximately the size that volition fit in near of these cookers). Preparing a bigger block of frozen meat may overcook the edges.

You will demand to use the trivet at the lesser of the pot to keep information technology upwards out of the water. Otherwise, you will eddy the hamburger meat.

As well, utilise the natural release pick to release the pressure slowly. This pick helps the meat go along more moisture.

Storing Footing Beef

• Air-condition or freeze ground beef equally shortly afterwards purchase as possible. These two options preserve freshness. Information technology besides slows bacterial growth. Refrigerate or freeze in its packaging if the meat will exist used soon after buy. Some people similar to remove the bundle at the bottom of the packaging before information technology freezes to the meat. It's a bit messy to remove after the packaging is frozen.
• Your refrigerator should store meat at 40°F or below to keep meat fresh. You should use the ground beef within one or 2 days of storage in your refrigerator.
• For longer storage in your freezer, wrap the ground beef in plastic wrap, aluminum foil, freezer paper, or plastic freezer bags. Ground beefiness volition lose quality over time. Ground beefiness is best if used inside four months after freezing. Write the appointment on your packages with a permanent marker so yous can keep track of storage times.

Thawing

• The best way to thaw footing beef safely is in the refrigerator. This thawing arroyo prevents the growth of bacteria. Cook or refreeze ground beef inside one to two days.
• To defrost ground beef rapidly, defrost in the microwave oven or cold water. You can submerge the entire parcel in a basin of common cold water. If you employ the microwave to defrost, cook the ground beef immediately because some areas may begin to melt during the defrosting. To defrost in common cold h2o, it is recommended that you put the meat in a watertight plastic purse before you submerge information technology. Change the water every 30 minutes. Cook immediately. Practice not refreeze raw ground beef that is thawed in cold water. You tin store ground beef after it has been cooked thoroughly.
• Never leave basis beef or whatever perishable food out at room temperature for more two hours (ane hour if it is 90°F or above).

Ground Beef Safety

• When ground beef is ground, more than of the meat is exposed to harmful bacteria. Bacteria multiply speedily in what are oftentimes called food Danger Zone temperatures — meaning temperatures between 40°F and 140°F.
• Freeze or refrigerate ground beef as before long as possible afterwards purchase. This approach preserves its freshness and slows the growth of bacteria. Exist especially circumspect on days when the oestrus is 90°F or higher up.
• You tin refrigerate or freeze ground beefiness in its original packaging if the meat is used soon after buy.
• To keep your nutrient'due south bacterial levels low, store ground beefiness at 40°F (or below and utilise within two days or freeze.

Make clean, Carve up, Cook, and Chill

According to the Centers for Affliction and Control and Prevention, bank check your food prophylactic steps by following what they identify as the four basic rules — Clean, Separate, Cook, and Arctic.

Make clean: Wash your hands and surfaces.

• Germs that cause nutrient poisoning can spread.
• Wash your easily for 20 seconds with lather and water earlier, during, and afterward preparing food.
• Wash your cutting boards, countertops, and utensils with hot, soapy water.

Separate: Don't cantankerous-contaminate items in your kitchen.

• Raw meat tin spread germs to other foods—keep your foods separate.
• Apply divide cutting boards for different foods. The same goes for plates for raw meat.
• When grocery shopping, go on raw meat abroad from other foods.
• Go on raw meat divide from all other foods in the fridge.

Cook: Make sure information technology is cooked to the correct internal temperature.

• Food is safely cooked if information technology is cooked to the right internal temperature when yous check it with a food thermometer. Color and texture of the meat are not the way to guess if your nutrient is safely cooked.
• Apply the great tool of a nutrient thermometer to make sure that all of your foods are cooked to a safe internal temperature.
• 160°F is the right temperature for ground beef.

Chill: Air-condition promptly. Follow all the refrigeration guidelines mentioned previously.

magnusabloome.blogspot.com

Source: https://mybackyardlife.com/how-to-cut-frozen-ground-beef/

Share this post