How long can I keep ground beef in the freezer?

I remember once hearing up to six months, but... I dunno......

Thoughts?


Also, is it necessary to thaw it overnight in the fridge before frying
it in a pan?

Thanks

-phaeton

"phaeton" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> How long can I keep ground beef in the freezer?
>
> I remember once hearing up to six months, but... I dunno......
>
> Thoughts?

It depends on how good it needs to look in the finished dish. I find that
ancient ground beef looks a bit gnarly when made into hamburgers. But, if
it's going to be cooked, crumbled and put in tacos, it'll be disguised, and
doesn't matter much.


> Also, is it necessary to thaw it overnight in the fridge before frying
> it in a pan?

What are you making out of it?

In article . com>,
"phaeton" > wrote:

> How long can I keep ground beef in the freezer?
>
> I remember once hearing up to six months, but... I dunno......
>
> Thoughts?
>
>
> Also, is it necessary to thaw it overnight in the fridge before frying
> it in a pan?


Depends entirely on how well its wrapped. I have used ground meet that
was frozen for a year with no ill effect. I thaw out frozen ground meat
one or two days in advance by placing it in the refrigerator, but if I
am in a hurry, I nuke it a little at a time to thaw it out.

Typically, my wrapping is going to be an airtight plastic container
such as rubbermaid or tupperware.

What's it going into? Probably burrito/taco/spaghetti/pizza, so i
guess the appearance doesn't matter so much. I just don't want to get
sick

I live with my fiancee. She's a vegetarian, I'm not. So oftentimes
when I cook something, I make two versions of it simultaneously. It
seems a lot of recipes are conveniently sized to use say, a pound of
meat, but when I split it I end up with some left over. Since I'll be
eating leftovers for a couple of days, I figure the raw meat would
perish in the fridge. So I freeze it.

Sound good?

:-)

-phaeton

"phaeton" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Typically, my wrapping is going to be an airtight plastic container
> such as rubbermaid or tupperware.
>
> What's it going into? Probably burrito/taco/spaghetti/pizza, so i
> guess the appearance doesn't matter so much. I just don't want to get
> sick
>

Assuming your freezer is cold enough (0 to 10 degrees F), you won't get
sick. And for what you're making, you don't need to defrost it first. Put it
in the pan on low-medium heat. As the outer layers cook, carve them off with
a spatula to expose the inner layers.

phaeton wrote:
> How long can I keep ground beef in the freezer?
>
> I remember once hearing up to six months, but... I dunno......
>
> Thoughts?
>
>
> Also, is it necessary to thaw it overnight in the fridge before frying
> it in a pan?
>
> Thanks
>
> -phaeton

If it's properly packaged (freezer bags with the air pushed out) the ground
beef will keep just fine up to a year. As for thawing, you can do a
quick-thaw with the meat in the plastic bag in a sink filled with cold
water. It will thaw in a couple of hours.

Jill

Stan Horwitz wrote:
> In article . com>,
> "phaeton" > wrote:
>
>
>>How long can I keep ground beef in the freezer?
>>snip
> Depends entirely on how well its wrapped. I have used ground meet that
> was frozen for a year with no ill effect. I thaw out frozen ground meat
> one or two days in advance by placing it in the refrigerator, but if I
> am in a hurry, I nuke it a little at a time to thaw it out.

One of the best buys I think I ever made was one of those 'vacuum seal'
machines. I package my meats then freeze and they keep for ages. I've
used meat frozen well over a year and it is fine. Also use to package
nuts, etc. with great results.

One time on Usenet, "phaeton" > said:

> How long can I keep ground beef in the freezer?
>
> I remember once hearing up to six months, but... I dunno......
>
> Thoughts?

I like to use it up by 6 months or so. You could probably get
away with a year, but the quality could suffer.

> Also, is it necessary to thaw it overnight in the fridge before frying
> it in a pan?

Nope. I fry frozen all the time. Just keep your heat low and take
your time...

--
"Little Malice" is Jani in WA
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~

Jim Davis wrote:
>
>



I used to know a Jim Davis many years ago, in Oregon.

Phaeton,

It depends on how it was handled prior to freezing. If it is fresh
meat, freshly ground, and you don't dilly-dally around the store with
it in the cart. And if it is a short ride home, where you put it
straight into the freezer.

You can keep it for 6 months in the freezer and still eat it, but it
will not taste very good. Freezing will kill off most of the bacteria,
and properly cooking it will finish the job. The problem with freezing
ground beef is that it just does not taste as good as fresh because in
the process of freezing, the texture changes

phaeton wrote:
> How long can I keep ground beef in the freezer?
>
> I remember once hearing up to six months, but... I dunno......
>
> Thoughts?
>
>
> Also, is it necessary to thaw it overnight in the fridge before frying
> it in a pan?
>
> Thanks
>
> -phaeton

phaeton wrote:
> Typically, my wrapping is going to be an airtight plastic container
> such as rubbermaid or tupperware.
>

Free tip for the season: Freeze each pound flat - smoosh it to
completely fill a gallon Ziplock freezer bag in a thin, even layer. It
will thaw in minutes (sealed, dunked in cold water, or laid flat on an
aluminum cookie sheet). Additionally, smooshing the meat out to fill
the bag without letting in any additional air makes it more impervious
to freezer burn.

Also, you can just break off enough of the flat layer for one portion
or one burger, if you want, without thawing the whole thing.

N.

One time on Usenet, "Nancy2" > said:
> phaeton wrote:

> > Typically, my wrapping is going to be an airtight plastic container
> > such as rubbermaid or tupperware.
> >
>
> Free tip for the season: Freeze each pound flat - smoosh it to
> completely fill a gallon Ziplock freezer bag in a thin, even layer. It
> will thaw in minutes (sealed, dunked in cold water, or laid flat on an
> aluminum cookie sheet). Additionally, smooshing the meat out to fill
> the bag without letting in any additional air makes it more impervious
> to freezer burn.
>
> Also, you can just break off enough of the flat layer for one portion
> or one burger, if you want, without thawing the whole thing.

Great tip, Nancy -- thanks... :-)

--
"Little Malice" is Jani in WA
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~

phaeton wrote:
> Typically, my wrapping is going to be an airtight plastic container
> such as rubbermaid or tupperware.

Here's my free tip for the holidays ;-)

To freeze ground beef, take each pound and smoosh it to completely fill
a 1-gallon Ziplock freezer bag in a single thin layer. Seal it up
without letting in more air. This not only removes excess air (less
freezer burn) but also makes it fast to thaw and easy to use. Want one
burger? You can break off a piece, leaving the rest frozen. Need to
thaw it quickly? Put it on a flat aluminum cookie sheet, or similar
alum. surface, or put it under cold water (leaving it sealed in the
bag). It will thaw in several minutes.

N.

In article .com>,
"Nancy2" > wrote:

> phaeton wrote:
> > Typically, my wrapping is going to be an airtight plastic container
> > such as rubbermaid or tupperware.
>
> Here's my free tip for the holidays ;-)
>
> To freeze ground beef, take each pound and smoosh it to completely fill
> a 1-gallon Ziplock freezer bag in a single thin layer. Seal it up
> without letting in more air. This not only removes excess air (less
> freezer burn) but also makes it fast to thaw and easy to use. Want one
> burger? You can break off a piece, leaving the rest frozen. Need to
> thaw it quickly? Put it on a flat aluminum cookie sheet, or similar
> alum. surface, or put it under cold water (leaving it sealed in the
> bag). It will thaw in several minutes.
>
> N.

I freeze it in single 8 oz. portions in smaller freezer bags.
That way I can just thaw the whole thing.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

Omelet wrote:
> In article .com>,
> "Nancy2" > wrote:
>
> I freeze it in single 8 oz. portions in smaller freezer bags.
> That way I can just thaw the whole thing.

8 oz. would be two portions at my house. Using 1 lb. packs is easier
and faster, and takes fewer bags, although they cost a bit more than
the smaller size.

N.

In article .com>,
"Nancy2" > wrote:

> Omelet wrote:
> > In article .com>,
> > "Nancy2" > wrote:
> >
> > I freeze it in single 8 oz. portions in smaller freezer bags.
> > That way I can just thaw the whole thing.
>
> 8 oz. would be two portions at my house. Using 1 lb. packs is easier
> and faster, and takes fewer bags, although they cost a bit more than
> the smaller size.
>
> N.

I cook for 2 people. :-)
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson