do you freeze your meat? page

[talper]

ive always thought meat tastes so much better when it cooked directly after buying, yet of course its rarely possible.
im working next to a market so will try and but vegtables daily/every 2 days and in moderation for needs, i guess i can buy meat daily but it will be very repetitive/a hussle.
i wanted to ask if you notest any change in the quality of the meat after it was froze? how do you difrost it?
is the best way is on the fridge over night?

[ElaineC]

I buy my meats in bulk straight from the farm, so freezing is not an option. I find as long as its wrapped properly, and frozen quickly to a hard freeze, its just as good as fresh, at least to me. I know there are some things that it makes a difference, shellfish for example, and fish, but I find beef, pork and lamb just fine out of the freezer. The trick is to wrap it tightly so no air contacts the meat.

To defrost, I toss the frozen lump into the sink, pile things on top of it so the dogs can't steal it, and leave for the day (or overnight). I have yet to have an issue, I'm sure some people would be horrified but it works for me. I will toss ground beef into the microwave for 2-3 minutes to defrost it, but only if I'm using it in something flavourful. Microwaved meat is disgusting.

If you're getting quality meat and freezing it properly, you shouldn't have any issues.

[talper]

well actually i didnt mean buying it froze! i mean buying it fresh and freeze it! then unfreeze it. most of the froze meat here is full of water
and other things.

but if you leave it overnight on the sink, why dont just put in the the fridge?

[Nion]

I have to, i shop bi-weekly and have a small fridge/freezer :/

[Kaytee]

I live in a rural town and meat is way to expensive to buy up here unles there is a huge sale, at which time I will stock up. I buy most of my meat on my monthly run to the city. So, almost all my meat is frozen. I grew up with a grandfather who was a butcher and would send us a full butchered cow every Christmas, so I'm used to frozen meat. I just throw it in the fridge the night before I want to use it, or even microwave it the day I need it if its an emergency. I usually put a lot of spices on it or cook it in a crockpot, so I don't notice much difference between frozen and fresh. I sure wish we had somewhere close to get grass-fed beef like this site is promoting to try it, but we don't.

[Saoirse]

almost all of my meat comes frozen in vacuum-sealed plastic. most of the meat "fresh" at the grocer was previously frozen unless otherwise labelled. it's a mass production sort of thing. you can improve the texture of the meat vastly by thawing it in your fridge and then letting it sit a few days before cooking. i never cook a steak or chicken breast right after thawing, just ruins it.

[Blackcatbone]

I buy most of my meat directly from the farmer so it comes frozen. I have a deep freezer so I pop it right in when I get home. I usually defrost in a sink full of water, which is much faster than in the fridge. If it's something pretty solid, like a big chunk of meat with bones I'll throw it in the water in the morning until it's mostly defrosted then stick it in the fridge. Something that defrosts quickly, like ground beef, about an hour or so before cooking and just leave it in the water.

[The Big L]

I tend to buy directly from farmers either at the farm or a farmer's market. 9 times out of 10 the meat is already vacuum sealed and frozen. I've always just let the meat thaw in the fridge, in a cool water bath, or if I'm in a hurry a warm water bath.

Recently though I started wondering whether it's wise to let it thaw in the plastic. I assume there's nothing horrible in the plastic, but I do have concerns about BPA and possibly other chemicals leaching out of the plastic and contaminating the meat. Lately I've been removing the meat from the plastic before thawing it. Obviously water baths are out with this approach, so I let it thaw in the fridge, or the microwave (on low power) if I'm in a hurry.

Anyway, to answer the OP's question: I haven't noticed a significant taste difference between fresh meat, meat bought frozen in vacuum-sealed packs, or meat bought fresh which is subsequently frozen and thawed. The only time it doesn't work out is if the packaging has too much air and moisture in it. Then ice can form on the meat and give it a nasty freezer-burnt taste.

[tapper47]

I recently bought a loin of NY steak (my fav) and had them sliced the thickness I wanted and gently trimmed. When I got home I wrapped each steak in freezer paper and froze them.

I thaw each in the microwave (I have auto-defrost) and then cook. Delicious and no freezer burn.

[kennelmom]

We buy a whole cow at a time from a local ranch and it comes frozen. I don't think there's any sacrifice in meat quality/taste.