Silly question about freezing meat etc

[lovemybubs]

Hiya everyone,

I feel really stupid asking this question...

I have an upright freezer but i never put meat in there. Im trying to get organised and stop wasting meat by putting it in the fridge and it going off, so can someone please explain how long you can keep meat in the freezer and how do you thaw it safely...

Thanks

[AngelPunks]

there should be a guide in your freezer as to how long you can keep it.

What I do is package the meat in the sizes I need it to be (we buy in bulk), then I write on the bag the date the meat was bought and went into the freezer (usually the same day).

To defrost, I have a container in my fridge (from my mother's fridge years ago) that is designed for meat, I put the meat in this container and put it in the bottom of the fridge, usually first thing in the morning if I want to use it that night (if it isn't too bulky, if it is then I put it in the fridge the night before). The container stops the blood dripping everywhere, you could probably use an icecream container.

Don't defrost meat by leaving it on the sink!

I will only defrost in the microwave in an emergency - only thing that gets "cooked" in our microwave is popcorn (sometimes I wonder why I have one - it hasn't been used in a month!)

[tiffanny]

Not sure on how long you can keep it in the freezer for ( there usually is a guide on he inside door) but I do know the safest way to thaw is in the fridge the day before you need to use it.

[LadyRaven]

Depends on what meat you use I have cooked with frozen foods as long as it's something that the meat gets chopped finely for and on a very low heat till it dethaws. Probably not the best but I'm not dead yet!

Otherwise dethaw in the fridge the previous day, I usually leave the meat wrapped up on a plate I've never had spillage

I think you can keep red meat for about 2-3months in the freezer? Not sure it should say somewhere on it. I know fish goes off really quickly as the enzymes that break down meat keep working at very low temperatures especially fish that live in deep cold water so I wouldn't store fish for long at all

[Pandora]

If by an upright freezer, you mean the -17.8C/0F freezers, the freezing time that you can store foods for is around double that of a regular freezer thats part of a refrigerator.

This chart is US based but assumes -17.8C

Item......................................Months
Bacon and Sausage.....................1 to 2
Casseroles...............................2 to 3
Egg whites or egg substitutes.............12
Frozen Dinners and Entrees............3 to 4
Gravy, meat or poultry ................2 to 3
Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats .......1 to 2
Meat, uncooked roasts................ 4 to 12
Meat, uncooked steaks or chops..... 4 to 12
Meat, uncooked ground ................3 to 4
Meat, cooked............................ 2 to 3
Poultry, uncooked whole................... 12
Poultry, uncooked parts..................... 9
Poultry, uncooked giblets.............. 3 to 4
Poultry, cooked.............................. 4
Soups and Stews.........................2 to 3
Wild game, uncooked...................8 to 12

It also assumes foods are correctly packaged so in freezer grade packaging not just gladwrap etc.

When correctly packaged, food frozen at 17.8 is safe to eat no matter hoe long its been in the freezer, but the quality does diminish hence the recommendations.