Not everyone can afford to buy fresh meat every day. The vast majority of people trying to stock up on them at least a week. And if the opportunity turns up, get a few kilograms of good beef or 3-4 bird carcasses at a low price? It is difficult to refuse it. And the question immediately arises - how much meat is stored in the refrigerator and how to store it properly?
Features of storing meat in the freezer
The longest stored meat in the freezer at -18? C and below. Moreover, the shelf life directly depends on the type of meat and methods of its cutting - in chunks, whole carcasses or in the form of minced meat.
- Beef, pork and lamb (large pieces) are stored for 4 to 12 months. Naturally, the less it will lie in the ice - the more it will retain all its properties. Another important nuance is that small pieces of meat (for example, goulash) should not be kept in the freezer for more than 3-4 months.
- Carcasses of a rabbit or nutria are best kept for no more than six months, but if necessary, the storage period can be extended for another 6 months.
- Poultry carcasses can be stored for a year, and pieces of poultry will lie for months 8.
- Any minced meat is stored for 2-3 months. It will last longer, but will become much less nutritious.
- Meat by-products are stored for 1-2 months.
If the temperature in the freezer is about -12? C - the shelf life of meat products is reduced by 1/3. At a temperature of -8 to -10? C - 2 times. Meat must be packed in plastic wrap (ideal) or plastic bags. With long-term storage of meat it is highly undesirable to defrost it. Each defrost reduces all useful qualities by half.
Features of meat storage in the refrigerator
Now let's talk about keeping meat in the fridge. This is especially true if you are very tired or busy to immediately process the meat products, or prepare them for storage in the freezer.
Fresh, fresh meat is put in a glass or enamel bowl - it should not be left in the bag! You can use a plastic food container. Meat can not be tightly closed - it is best to leave the container open. In this form, it will lie for a day. The same applies to fresh poultry carcasses.
Stuffing is stored in a common chamber for no more than 12 hours - it must also be removed from the bag. Any offal is not left in the common chamber for more than 6 hours.
Features of long-term storage of meat in the refrigerator
There are also emergency situations when meat has to be stored in the common chamber of the refrigerator for several days. For example, if the freezer is overfilled or stopped freezing. In this case, you need to use culinary tricks that will not let the meat spoil.
- A piece of meat is well rubbed with lemon juice and stored in a glass, enameled or stainless container without covering - so it will “hold out” for day 2.
- You can wrap the meat in thick paper, and wrap it over the top with a cloth moistened with strong saline. Shelf life - 2-3 days.
- Some sources advise you to pour the meat with fresh milk or pour boiling saline solution - the shelf life is up to 2 days.
- If you have the opportunity, wrap a piece of meat with nettle leaves and put the pieces on them. Then wrap everything in a wet towel and place it in an enamel bowl. It should not spoil in about 2-3 days.
Finally, the meat can simply be marinated in lemon juice or vinegar. Marinade will not allow meat to rot out for 3-4 days.
Well, what to do if, despite all efforts from meat or minced meat, an unpleasant smell has already gone? If it has just begun to deteriorate, a large amount of onions, spices and high-quality culinary processing will completely correct the situation.
