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Do you often buy meat in bulk and save it for weeknight meals?
But buying meat in bulk is make sense if you have the best meat freezer to store it precisely.
Frozen meat is also the finest alternative for quick dinner or last-minute feast. Buying meat in bulk also saves your time and grocery budget in the long run.
Storing and handling meat is very essential as many types of bacteria can grow easily on animal products.
If you are buying meat in bulk, you need a dedicated meat freezer for a healthy kitchen.
Modern meat storage heavily depends upon the refrigeration and freezing.
So, today we come up with the best freezer for meat that helps you to store the meat whether it is- chicken, pork or fish- the longest and safely in the freezer.
Can Meat Go Bad in the Freezer?
Freezing meat is the best way to store meat to keep it fresh for longer.
But do you know, can meat go bad in the freezer?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, any food stored at 0°F is absolutely safe to eat indefinitely as it inactivates the microbes and prevents bacterial growth.
But sometimes the quality of the meat can affect due to certain circumstances. It doesn’t mean the meat is spoiled but the quality goes down.
That downgrade quality meat should be discarded. It should not be cooked or served.
According to general consensus, the meat should be used within four to 12 months of being frozen.
Precisely frozen meat lasts long and don’t have freezer burn!
If meat freezes properly, it can last for months. You can store the meat in the freezer with the following steps:
Prepare the meat for freezing
For freezing the meat, you should store the meat in the refrigerator at 40 degrees F or below for 2-3 days before freezing them.
Before freezing the meat remove store packaging. Because it is not resistant to vapor or moisture. Cut the meat into an individual portion by using a sharp knife.
But don’t rinse the meat before freezing as it leads to crystallization develop on meat after freezing. You can rinse meat right before cooking it.
Wrap the meat in Freezer paper properly
For wrapping the meat, you will need a freezer paper. It is used in many grocery stores for packaging meat. If you don’t have freezer paper, you can use wax paper, parchment paper or plastic wrap.
While freezing with freezer paper make sure, meat is resting on the wax side and the paper side is on the counter side.
There is a possibility of bones can tear the wrapping paper. So, wrap the bones with pieces of paper towel and continue wrapping.
Wrap the freezer paper in such a way that top and bottom can come together over the meat. Finally, fold the freezer paper down towards the meat.
Wrap the meat again in aluminium foil or zipped plastic bag
Wrapping again in aluminium foil is an optional step. But it helps to keep the air away from meat and lower the risk of the freezer burn.
While storing in the plastic bag, make sure all air is taken out.
Labelling the wrapped meat
Label the meat package with date and content. So that you get to know for how long the meat has been frozen and what cut of meat contains in the package. You can use a permanent marker for labeling on the package.
Freezing the meat in the freezer
Keep the wrapped meat in the freezer at zero degrees F. or lower. Store the meat in the coldest area of the freezer. Don’t open or close the freezer frequently.
Video: How to Freeze and Store Meat?
How to Store Meat in Freezer Without Plastic?
If you want to freeze a small amount of meat, then mason jars are the best option you have. They are also a reliable alternative for freezing liquids.
If you bought a big cheese black in a resealable bag, you can use it to freeze a single piece of chicken.
If you want any reusable alternative, you can get a reusable silicon zip lock bag. It is a dishwasher safe bag. They can resist the heat required to kill the germs on raw meat. So, this is one of the great options to store the meat in the freezer.
You can also use cellulose bags, grease-proof paper or airtight stainless container for freezing the meat in the freezer without any hassle.
What to Look for Before Buying the Best Freezer for Meat?
The following are the essential consideration before buying the best meat freezer.
Chest or Upright freezer
Which is the reliable freezer being a really depends upon your need.
Upright freezers are extremely handy. If you are going to buy meat often to store in the freezer, it is the best option for you.
Upright freezer and chest freezer have the same amount of space for storage.
Only the upright freezer occupies lesser space on the floor than the chest freezer as their shape is upright.
In front-facing door freezer, you can easily select and take out the stuff from the freezer.
The upright freezer has more shelves for storage than a chest freezer. But if you want to store large cuts of meat, the chest freezer is a good alternative.
Maintenance
Maintenance of the freezer is an important factor while buying it. A chest freezer has little more maintenance than an upright freezer. Because it doesn’t have an auto defrost option.
If you are planning to store the large amount of meat, manual defrosting is difficult for you. Because you need to empty all freezer once or twice in a year for defrosting.
Energy efficiency
Chest freezers are more energy-efficient than upright ones. Because they don’t have auto defrost option. So, they don’t consume additional electricity for defrosting.
Upright freezers have auto defrost option, so consumes more electricity than chest freezers.
Additional features
Nowadays are different freezers come with different optimization features. It includes interior light, wire basket with full access, basket divider, adjustable glass shelf, energy-saving, frost-free operation, etc.
Price
Price is the subjective factor for buying the freezer. If you comparing chest and upright freezer on price point, a chest freezer will win. Because chest freezers are more affordable than the upright freezer, though there is no a huge difference between price range.
If you are looking for a chest freezer that is modern as well as compact, then don’t look further. The Danby 3.5 Cu. Ft. Chest Freezer is the best option you have.
It comes with 3.8 cu. ft (98ltr.) storage space. The freezer has an energy-efficient lid and cabinet with foam insulation which saves your electricity bills considerably.
It is featured with a smooth back design that helps for easy placement.
You can access its mechanical thermostat with ease as it is located on the front of the unit. The drain is also located at the front side that makes quick and easy defrosting.
You can access the frequently used stuff inside the freezer easily as it comes with a storage basket at the top of the unit.
Midea is a leading and trustworthy brand of home appliances. They offer quality chest freezers with different styles and functions.
The Midea WHS-129C1 is a free-standing chest freezer with all-white exterior. The lid comes with a hinge design with a silver recessed handle.
It comes with 3.5 cu. ft (99ltr) capacity that holds a good amount of meat. The freezer has mechanical control with an adjustable thermostat. You can set your temperature from 12 degrees to 28 degrees.
The freezer is compact and apartment friendly. The freezer contains one hanging storage basket which allows for ease in access.
Whynter Black CUF-301BK is an upright freezer is an Energy star appliance with 3 Cu. ft capacity. This upright freezer can be used in the kitchen, offices, garages, and basements, etc.
It is a space-saving compact freezer that comes with a flush back. So, it perfectly fits against the wall or into a corner.
It is designed with three condenser coil shelves that allow for direct contact to freezer items quickly. This also allows cold air to constantly circulate throughout the freezer.
The freezer comes with a reversible door, provides left and right swings. So, you can install it anywhere.
Magic Chef MCUF3S2 3.0 cu. ft. Upright Freezer comes with a beautiful stainless door and black cabinet which gives a clean and sleek look. This upright freezer has a manual defrost option.
This freezer has wire shelves that allow for easy loading and removal of foodstuff. You can adjust the temperature with thermostat temperature control.
It’s flush back design fits into any wall or corner space at home and office. The reversible door feature again added the functionality of the freezer.
The recessed door handle gives you easy access to your food item. It can hold a large amount of meat.
You can store 10 chicken packets from Costco, 5-1 pound ground beef packs, a lamb leg, 2-3 pound big packs of chuck roast. Still again there is some space will be left.
If you want to freeze the meat for a long term, you should buy a separate meat freezer. You cannot freeze the meat in the refrigerator for the long term as it can’t maintain at least zero degrees.
Now you know about the best meat freezer with its best optimization features. All freezers have some advantages or disadvantages. But good things outweigh the disadvantages.
So, choose the freezer as per your requirement and preference that fits into your budget. Enjoy meat feast anytime!
