How long can you actually store meat in the freezer: the time frame is shorter than many people think

Freezing meat for future use is a favorite Russian tradition. At the same time, few people know reliably how long meat can be stored in the freezer. According to GOST and SanPiN of Russia, the shelf life of frozen meat and chicken is very limited. At a temperature of -18 degrees, which is set in most household freezers, pork is stored for 6 months, chicken for 10-12 months, and beef for no longer than a year. Boiled, minced, minced meat can be kept in the freezer even less.

Shelf life of frozen meat and poultry

The duration and storage conditions of frozen meat are prescribed in dozens of different regulatory documents: GOST standards for cutting carcasses, production and sale of various meats, meat and meat-containing products.

In order not to spend the whole evening studying all the papers, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the information in the table:

Important. The shelf life is calculated from the day the meat is produced.

This table is compiled on the basis of the current appendix to the Letter of the Main State Trade Inspectorate of the RSFSR dated July 21, 1987 N 23-1-6/52n. You can also learn more about the conditions and shelf life of frozen meat from SanPiN 2.3.2.1324-03.

How to freeze correctly?

For better preservation of frozen meat, you must adhere to the following rules:

1. Choose a fresh, good quality product.
2. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour before cutting.
3. Remove all excess moisture with a paper towel.
4. Pack carefully. Vacuum packaging is considered the best. It allows you to extend the shelf life of meat by 1.5-2 times.
5. Use the freezer compartment with the lowest temperature. The exception is chicken. It is stored at a temperature not lower than -18 degrees.
6. Do not store fish, vegetables or foods with strong odors near them.
7. It is advisable to store meat only with meat, and of the same type.
8. Label the products with the name of the product, weight, freezing date and expiration date.
9. Keep meat as far away from the door as possible. When it is opened, a temperature difference occurs, which negatively affects the safety of the product.

You need to decide whether to cut the meat into portions or freeze it in large pieces. On the one hand, frozen whole carcasses and half-carcasses are preserved better.On the other hand, they take up a lot of space in the freezer and do not fit into household refrigerators at all. Another “cons” factor is that for cooking you will have to defrost 10-20 kg of meat at once, and according to SanPin, re-freezing is prohibited. Thus:

It is correct to freeze meat for storage and consumption at home in as large pieces as possible, but at the same time in such a way that they do not take up much space in the freezer and can be cooked in one go.

Meat on the bone, ribs

Meat with bones weighing over 500 g can be stored for about 6 months. Usually the bones are prepared for broth, and the pulp is frozen separately. This makes the preparation convenient to use and saves space in the freezer.

Nuances:

• You need to trim off excess fat from the lamb. After defrosting, it may give off a characteristic odor. The lamb itself is flavorful, so you need to use 2 packages.
• Veal needs to be frozen quickly. She quickly loses juice.
• The correct way to freeze bones is in a tight bag. They are sharp and often tear the packaging.

Fillet, pulp, steak

Beef, pork, lamb and chicken fillet are semi-finished products. Large pieces are stored frozen for up to 3 months, and small pieces - 30 days. Can:

• Freeze the fillet and tenderloin as a whole piece. It is recommended to use vacuum packaging.
• Cut the fillet, pulp into goulash or steaks. Pack in cling film in portions of 200-500 g. Steaks can be covered with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. Cooks often freeze steaks in a marinade.

Bird

For long-term storage, it is recommended to freeze the bird whole. It is better to cut up chicken and turkey that you plan to eat in the next 3 months and store them in the freezer in parts.

How to freeze poultry correctly:

• Kiss. First, the carcass must be plucked and cleaned, all dirt removed, and dried. They try not to damage the skin. The carcass should be packed in a vacuum bag or wrapped in several layers of thick cling film.
• In parts. The chicken (turkey) needs to be washed, dried and cut into parts: legs, wings, fillet, skeleton. Legs and wings are frozen in batches of 10-12 pieces. Spread thick cling film on the table, lay out the chicken parts in one layer and wrap tightly in 2-3 layers. Pieces of meat are left on the body to make the broth rich. To freeze it, divide it in half along the ribs, stuff it tightly into a bag and tie it in a knot.

Advice. It is convenient to use foam trays for freezing meat. When defrosting, they prevent liquid from leaking out. Surfaces remain clean.

Ground meat

Some parts of carcasses can be minced and frozen as minced meat.

Right:

1. Use one or more types of meat, poultry.
2. Add lard and skin for juiciness.
3. Do not salt or pepper the minced meat for freezing.
4. Do not add onion, egg or other ingredients.
5. Divide the minced meat into portions of 0.5-1 kg.
6. Place in thick plastic bags.
7. Distribute the minced meat in the bags in a thin layer.
8. Tuck the packages.
9. Freeze the rectangles with minced meat in the freezer, stacking them on top of each other.

How to defrost?

It is necessary to defrost the meat gradually. Rapid defrosting will result in large losses of juice. Recommended:

• 8-12-36 hours before, transfer the meat from the freezer to the refrigerator. How long it takes to defrost the product depends on its size.
• Start cooking when the workpiece is completely defrosted (not only at the edges, but also in the center).
• Remember that defrosted meat can remain in the refrigerator for no longer than 24 hours.

Leaving food to defrost in the room on the table is dangerous. Bacteria multiply in heat, and the workpiece can quickly deteriorate. If you need to quickly prepare a meat dish, you can defrost the package in cold water (without unpacking). Also, for quick defrosting, household appliances are used: microwaves and ovens with a defrosting function.

Freezing and defrosting cooked meat

Boiled meat loses its aroma and taste when frozen. We need to take this into account. The taste is best preserved by freezing meat pieces in broth. Convenient to use food container. It is filled with chopped boiled meat by two thirds, and filled with the broth in which it was cooked before.

For salads, boiled chicken is finely chopped or separated into fibers. Divide into portions of approximately 200 g. Pack in film without compacting.

The maximum shelf life of boiled meat and poultry in the freezer is 2 months. There is no need to defrost the semi-finished product. You should reheat it or immediately add it to the dish you are preparing.

Questions and answers

How is meat frozen in production?

There are several industrial methods for freezing meat: in air and on metal plates, in a saline solution and in boiling refrigerant. Fresh meat is frozen immediately or in two stages: cooled to a temperature of +4 degrees, and then frozen at -8 degrees and below. 3 freezing speeds are also used. Slow is carried out at a temperature of -18-23 degrees, low air flow and humidity of about 90%. Intensive freezing occurs at a temperature of -23-30 degrees, air movement of 0.5-0.8 m/s.Freezing is considered fast at a temperature of -30-35 degrees and an air flow speed of 1-4 m/s. To improve the characteristics of meat and increase shelf life, food-grade acid treatment is used in production.

At what temperature can meat be stored for several years?

In a freezer with a constant temperature of -30 degrees, frozen beef and lamb can be stored for up to 2 years, and pork for 1.5 years. Canned products last the longest – 2-3 years. It does not need freezing.

How can you tell if frozen pork or chicken has gone bad?

The first thing you need to do is look at the expiration date indicated on the packaging. It is important to label meat that has been packaged and frozen independently. If the shelf life has not yet expired, the product should be examined. Any changes in appearance, structure and smell indicate spoilage. In particular, lost frozen pork and poultry become sticky and take on a yellow or gray hue. There may be a characteristic smell of decomposition and a bitter taste. Frozen food that has expired should not be eaten. Even after heat treatment, it can cause serious poisoning.

When freezing meat for future use, you need to remember that a chilled product is much more valuable: nutritious, aromatic, tasty. When cooked, frozen meat turns out less juicy and tougher. In addition, when stored frozen, part of the protein is salted out. Due to the freezing of water in the muscles, the amount of salts increases and the solubility of proteins is lost. The longer frozen meat is stored, the more significant the loss of meat juice during defrosting.For example, a half carcass that was stored in the freezer for 2 years will lose 2.5 times more juice than one that was frozen 4 months ago.