No matter how many people talk about the loss of the beneficial properties of frozen meat, we will continue to freeze it, right? Because it’s convenient. It happens that I bought several kilograms of fresh meat, brought it home, divided it into several pieces, and voila — the preparations for the dishes are made. Therefore, today we decided to find out — is it worth freezing meat, what is the benefit and harm, and how to do it correctly.
Benefit
First of all, it is convenient to freeze meat, we have already found out. Imagine a farmer slaughtering livestock. What should he do with the whole carcass without a freezer? Freezing is the only way to preserve what is grown.
In addition, repeated studies have shown that freezing does not significantly change the properties of meat and retains its taste characteristics even after several months of storage in the freezer. More dangerous is repeated freezing and prolonged freezing at inappropriate temperatures.
Harm
We will not deny that meat has its own microbiological and physicochemical characteristics and in the process of freezing, they will still change. The higher the storage temperature, the faster these reactions take place. For example, at -10 °C, oxidation of myoglobin is likely to take place. Oxidation can make the meat taste bitter and unpleasant. Please note that pork undergoes this oxidation more than beef, for example, so we recommend buying pork fresh in small quantities so that there is no need to freeze it.
However, the oxidation process is quite long. For meat, the maximum period is 12 months. Therefore, you should not worry about frozen meat if it stays in the freezer for up to 1 year.
What is the best way to defrost?
If we talk about proper freezing, then first of all it should be said about labeling. Can you remember when you put the meat in the freezer? Obviously not. It could take several months, but it could take a whole year. Therefore, to know exactly whether the meat is edible, mark the bags with the date of freezing.
And then the important process of defrosting. To properly defrost a piece, you need to immerse it in cold water until it is completely defrosted and only then cook. Thus, its useful properties are better preserved and the quality suffers minimally. In addition, such meat will not be watery during cooking and will not have an unpleasant smell that it absorbs from the freezer.
Defrosting in the microwave or on the table in the package in which the meat was purchased is just what only hurts. Repeated freezing is also harmful. If you freeze and thaw a piece several times, only fibers will remain from it — there is no question of vitamins or beneficial properties. After all, all the protein turns into ice crystals and after defrosting it simply flows out along with the liquid.
Way out
Of course, it is difficult to do without a freezer, but it is possible. What if you buy fresh meat in small portions and vacuum them? For example, evacuated fresh pork can be stored for up to 20 days. It’s almost a month! And no loss of useful properties or taste, and no difficulties with defrosting and storage.
You can evacuate meat in all our company stores. Vacuuming price — 10 UAH. And the benefits from it are simply invaluable.
