Every housewife is faced with the phenomenon of a catastrophic lack of time. And of course, first of all, the question arises about the proper nutrition of household members in the current conditions. Semi-finished products and modern kitchen devices (multi-cookers, grills) come to the rescue. Home freezing is a great time saver. You can put grated vegetables, cheese, and fried mushrooms in the freezer. At the right moment, all this instantly turns into frying for soup, gravy or filling for a pie. Is it possible to freeze cooked meat?
Myths and facts
Some housewives believe that freezing is just a lifesaver. Others, on the contrary, are sure that prepared foods should either be eaten or thrown away. And no exceptions. Who is right, let's figure it out together. So, here are the six most common myths:
- You can freeze any food. There are many nuances here. Young housewives do not see the difference between storing cherries or strawberries, fresh herbs or mushrooms in the chamber. And she is. Cherries will retain their shape and taste, while ripe strawberries will turn into mush when defrosted. Fresh greens do not tolerate low temperatures; if you want to preserve them for the winter, dry or salt them. Creamy sauces do not tolerate such temperature changes; they usually curdle. Do not freeze shelled or canned eggs. This doesn't answer the question of whether you can freeze cooked meat, but we'll get to that shortly.
- Time stops in the cell. Products may remain here indefinitely. This is correct, but only partly. The temperature in the freezer plays a role: the lower it is, the longer the shelf life. But if after defrosting you want to get not just food, but a tasty and healthy dish, then you shouldn’t keep it there for too long. Soups, stews and casseroles should be consumed within 2 months. Speaking about whether it is worth freezing boiled meat, we can confidently recommend such experiments, but it must be consumed within 3 months. Raw semi-finished meat products can be eaten for 12 months. Cooked poultry up to 4 months.
How to properly freeze food (Part 2)
We continue to understand the intricacies of proper freezing of various products. See the first part of the article here.
How to freeze bananas? Freezing bananas helps keep excess fruit from rotting if you buy more than you can eat at one time. Cut the fruit into slices, dip each piece in lemon juice to prevent browning, pack in a container or bag and place in the freezer. Once thawed, banana slices can be added to shakes, smoothies, baking toppings, etc. Use frozen bananas within three months.
How to freeze greens? Wash the greens, shake off excess moisture and dry on a paper towel. Chop the stems if desired, then spread in a thin layer on a baking sheet or tray, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. When the greens have set, transfer them to a convenient container and put them back in the freezer, where they can be stored for up to six months. To use frozen herbs, simply season the dish with them without thawing.
How to freeze milk? Because milk expands when it freezes, the container you will use should not be filled completely. You can freeze milk either in the original packaging, but then you should open it and pour out some liquid, or in a suitable container, leaving it 3-4 centimeters empty. When sending milk to the freezer, do not forget to put an expiration date on the container: if frozen, the product can be stored for up to 2 months. To defrost milk, place it in the refrigerator to thaw and then shake well. Freezing changes the texture of milk, so it is better to use it for preparing dishes that require heat treatment (dough, filling, sauces), rather than as a drink.
How to freeze boiled chicken? We all know that fresh chicken can be frozen, but it turns out that already cooked meat can also be stored for a long time. To do this, boiled or baked poultry should be cut into portions or cut into small segments. Wrap large parts in cling film and then place them in the freezer; small shredded pieces are best placed in special vacuum bags for freezing, which will prevent the meat from losing its juiciness. Boiled chicken should be defrosted in the refrigerator. Thawed meat can be added to soups, stews, sauces, or heated and used as an independent dish. The shelf life of boiled frozen chicken is 3 months.
How to freeze rice? It’s convenient to freeze rice so you always have a ready-made side dish on hand. To do this, boil the cereal until half cooked, removing it from the stove 5 minutes earlier than the time specified in the cooking instructions. Then the rice needs to be cooled for 30 minutes: the side dish for freezing should be slightly warm so that it retains moisture. Place the rice in bags so that there is some free space left, squeeze the air out of them, give them a flat shape, and place them in the freezer. When you want to use a side dish, simply put the frozen product in the microwave and heat for 3-4 minutes: this time is enough for the cereal not only to defrost, but also to become soft. You can store rice in the freezer for 4 months.
How to freeze berries? Seasonal berries can be frozen and used within six months. To do this, you need to sort the fruits, removing overripe and damaged specimens, rinse them under running water and let the liquid drain well. Clean berries should be placed on a paper towel to remove any remaining moisture, then placed in a single layer on a baking sheet and placed in the freezer. For ease of storage, frozen fruits must be packaged in small portions in containers or bags, with an expiration date marked on them. When preparing smoothies and cocktails, berries can be used without prior thawing. If you heat them, the fruits need to be thawed in the refrigerator.
How to freeze cottage cheese and cream cheese? Cottage cheese and cream cheese are perishable products, but deep freezing can increase their shelf life. To do this, wrap the original packaging in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer, setting the temperature as low as possible (at least -18 °C). If you are freezing a homemade product, use a container with an airtight lid. Cottage cheese and cream cheese can be stored in the freezer for about a month, but it is better to use the product within 2-3 weeks, until it loses its taste. Defrosting should be done in the refrigerator. When the cottage cheese has thawed, drain the separated liquid, mix the product well and use it to prepare casseroles, cheesecakes, puddings, cheesecakes and other dishes that require heat treatment. The cottage cheese and cream cheese you plan to freeze must be fresh.
How to freeze lemon zest? If you made jam or marmalade from lemons, use the peels to store the zest for future use. To do this, grate the peel on a fine grater, without touching the white shell, and place it in the freezer, packing it in bags or containers. In this form, the product can be stored for about a year. You can use the zest to flavor your favorite dishes without first defrosting it.
How to freeze bread? By freezing, you can preserve any type of bread, both home-made and factory-made. Wrap the loaf in foil, cling film or freezer paper in two thick layers, secure the ends of the package with masking tape and write the packaging date with a marker. Place the bread in the freezer, where it can be stored for 6 months. To defrost the product, place it on the refrigerator shelf and leave it for several hours.
Safety and taste
- Freezing kills bacteria. This is wrong. If products with traces of contamination were sent to be frozen, the pathogenic microflora will stop its growth, but will begin to develop again after thawing. The only way to get rid of it is to carry out high-quality heat treatment.
- Once defrosted, food cannot be re-frozen. This is one of the most discussed recommendations. Moreover, everyone interprets it in their own way. In particular, controversy over whether it is possible to freeze boiled meat also grows from it. In fact, you can put raw foods back into the freezer if they have been warm for no more than an hour. There are even fewer restrictions for prepared meat. But you need to understand that ice crystals disrupt the structure of the meat, and the more repeated procedures are carried out, the worse the quality of the finished dish. You won't get poisoned, but the taste will be completely different.
- Frozen food has fewer nutrients than fresh food. The point here is the quality of the product that was placed in the freezer. If this is a summer berry in all its juice, then the benefit from it in winter will be much greater than from fresh, but grown in winter conditions in a greenhouse. But if the meat began to deteriorate and was saved by placing it in the freezer, then you should not hope that it will restore its quality, taste and smell.
How to choose the right one
If the chicken is in a package, then the date must be indicated on it. If it is missing, it is better to open the package to check the quality of the product. When buying a chicken at the market, be sure to smell it in the area of the incision on the stomach. Fresh meat has virtually no odor. The carcass should not smell of bleach or vinegar. These smells confirm that the bird has been lying there for a couple of days and they tried to “reanimate” it.
It is also worth paying attention to the condition of the skin. If the chicken was sold without packaging, it should be a little dry. Its normal color is white. Fat birds and those fed corn have a slightly yellowish tint.
If you press on fresh chicken flesh, it will quickly return to its shape. The poultry meat should be pinkish and the fat should be light yellow. You should not purchase a product that is sitting in a puddle of pink liquid. This indicates that the bird was soaked for a long time to give it extra weight. If the bird is frozen, there should be no pieces of ice on it. An ice crust indicates multiple freezing.
If you plan to freeze the bird for several months, it is recommended to take it chilled. Its advantage is that, without even leaving the counter, you can determine the freshness of the product. And it will be much easier to prepare a chilled bird by dividing it into parts.
See also
How to properly fold and store towels in the bathroom, do-it-yourself organizer
Practical recommendations
No one will be surprised by raw meat in the freezer. This is the basis of daily meals. But sometimes circumstances require you to revise the menu. This is usually due to saving time or money. And sometimes both. For a sensible approach to housekeeping, it is worth finding out whether it is possible to freeze boiled chicken.
For example, the chicken was boiled whole. Of course, such an abundance of meat food will not please the body. It's okay, you can cook a lot of delicious dishes from it. It's practical and useful. When part of the boiled bird is separated for a dinner dish, the rest should not be put in the refrigerator. Even if it lasts no more than 2-3 days, it is still better to freeze it.
How long can fried meat be stored without refrigeration?
How long does fried meat last without refrigeration?
At home, without resorting to methods of increasing shelf life, the product will last no more than 48 hours, but its taste will change. In a dark, cool place, the time period increases to 72 hours, but it is recommended to consume the product within the next 4 hours.
Interesting materials:
What applies to the common property of an apartment building? What applies to the local area of an apartment building? What applies to living space in a private house? What to give to a friend up to 1000 rubles? What to give a man for his birthday up to 1000 rubles? What does a major home renovation mean? What does reconstruction of a private house mean? What to plant in front of the house on the street? What to plant around the house? What is the TN S system for electrical installations with voltages up to 1 Kilovolt?
Preparation stages
There is also an element of planning here. Immediately think about how you will use this carcass. If you need it all at once, you can pack it in one bag. Otherwise, divide it into pieces. The second method is better, since if necessary, you can get several bags or even all at once. But dividing a frozen carcass before complete thawing is much more difficult. Most discussions on the topic of whether it is possible to freeze boiled chicken meat concern this point. Well, just follow the plan:
- Each piece must be packed in a tight bag and signed.
- Boiled poultry should be stored at a temperature of -18 degrees, no longer than 6 days.
- After defrosting, the meat should be used immediately. Repeated long-term heat treatment or placing it back in the freezer leads to destruction of the tissue structure, a sharp loss of protein and microelements.
How to store cooked chicken in the refrigerator
It is important to know not only the expiration date of chicken fillet and other parts of poultry, but also recommendations for storing the carcass:
- First you need to cool the finished dish to room temperature and only then put it in the refrigerator.
- The meat should be “sealed” in aluminum foil; a plastic container can be used. It is not recommended to use plastic bags for this purpose.
- The container with the prepared meat is placed at the very bottom of the refrigerator, near the back wall of the refrigeration unit. We do not recommend storing chicken parts on the door. The temperature in this part of the refrigerator rises sharply every time it is opened, which means the meat will spoil much faster.
- Before use, the chilled dish is heated. This will restore the taste of the meat. Unfortunately, the usefulness of a thawed product is always less than that of a freshly prepared one.
- Raw meat should not be stored near cooked meat. You should also store meat separately from fruits, vegetables and drinks.
Children's menu
Complementary foods begin to be given to the baby at approximately 6 months. After the vegetable purees, it’s time to try the meat. And every mother faces the same problem. It is very inconvenient to cook a small piece every day for a little one, it takes a lot of time. Is it possible to freeze boiled meat for a child?
Yes, many mothers use this method. Some people freeze small meatballs from raw minced meat so that they can be stewed with vegetables for lunch. Others boil the chicken, divide it into 3-4 servings at once and put it in the freezer. After this, all that remains is to put the contents of the bag into a pan, add vegetables, and in 15 minutes the soup is ready.
Smoked meats for solyanka
Since freezing can significantly extend the life of food, you can take advantage of this and make preparations for first courses. Pea soup, solyanka, aromatic Kiev-style borscht - all these dishes cannot do without smoky meat. Is it possible to freeze cooked smoked meat? Yes, it retains its properties perfectly. The only negative is that after defrosting it loses its juiciness.
- Cut into portions.
- Only pack in freezer bags. After that, put them all in another bag. The aroma of smoked meats can penetrate into other products.
- It’s very convenient to have a bag like this in the freezer in case you want to make a salad. Add an egg, mayonnaise, crackers or cucumber and get a great snack.
Storing Beef or Pork
Poultry meat is good because it cooks quickly. But often there is an allergic reaction to it, especially in children. In this case, you have to abandon it and switch to young beef. Is it possible to freeze boiled meat in this case? It is tougher and more fibrous, so it is even more difficult to cook pieces weighing 60 g for a long time every day.
Beef is no different from chicken. Cut well-cooked meat into portions and freeze. You can also store the broth separately. In this case, you will always have a semi-finished product on hand for quickly preparing lunch.
Marinated meat
Marinated chicken can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. But it is worth considering that long-term exposure to tender poultry meat is extremely undesirable. Therefore, you need to carefully read the information on the packaging of the sauce or marinating mixture before you begin. Experts do not recommend freezing such chicken.
