Questions About Meat

When I freeze meat on the date of 'best by'...then defrost later for use, I defrost it the same day I am going to use. Simple.

Take it out of the freezer in the morning, and put on counter top. Or take out later in the day and defrost in the micro on defrost or 50% less power mode, per weight.

Then cook the same day.

But if you must defrost in the frig, then I would do that over night.

Here's a great resource:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/19013cb7-8a4d-47...

What matters most is proper storage, proper thawing, and proper cooking.

Store cold or frozen foods in an insulated bag in your car (in the warm weather), to make sure that when you're driving home from the store, or if you have another errand, the food stays cold.

At home, remove plastic packaging and shrink wrap. There's air in the package (especially those packages with the stiff plastic wrap that have an inch or so of space between the plastic and the meat). Air is the enemy (affects quality and can cause spoilage). So, at home, with clean hands, remove the meat from the package, and re-wrap tightly (air-free) in good freezer paper or plastic wrap, then place in freezer-type zip-top bags. Squeeze the air out. Label with the meat type and the date you bought it. Then refrigerate it, or freeze it if you're not going to use it right away.

Make sure your fridge and freezer are set to the proper temps: no more than 40 degrees for the fridge (about 35 or 37 is good), and 0 for the freezer.

Thaw frozen foods in the fridge, and make sure that meats are on the bottom shelf of the fridge (in case any liquid should drip from them - they won't drip or leak onto other foods).

Example: you buy a whole chicken at the store. It has a "sell-by" date of today. Put it in one of those cold-storage grocery bags (the insulated kind) since it's a hot day outside, and when you get home, remove the chicken from its packaging. If you're using it tonight, simply refrigerate it in a zip-top bag, with any marinade or seasonings. If you are going to cook it tomorrow or the next day, re-wrap in good plastic wrap and a freezer zip-top bag. Then, place the chicken in your fridge which is properly set at between 32 and 40 degrees. The danger point is even a tiny percentage higher than 40 degrees. Then a day later, or up to 2 days, you cook the chicken. Or, put the chicken in the freezer for a couple of weeks, properly wrapped and labeled.

Another example: you buy a frozen package of steaks at the store, and the date to use it or freeze it is today. Again, keep it cold in your car in an insulated bag if it's a hot day. Then remove the steaks from their packaging, wrap in freezer paper, place in freezer bags, and transfer them to your freezer for a couple of weeks. The freezer is properly set to 0 degrees. When you are planning to eat the steaks, transfer them to your fridge in order to let them thaw. Since your fridge is at the right temp, this is safe.

Since you have properly stored and packaged the meats, they are safe. You don't have to panic about those dates, as long as you store the food safely. The dates are not the dates that the meat will spoil, they are your guide for using and storing and preparing the meats. The dates will also give you a clue as to the best time to use the foods for maximum quality and taste. For example, ground beef or poultry that is near its "use by" date won't be at its peak but if properly stored and cooked, it will be fine in a sauce or chili or meatloaf or everyday burgers for a casual supper. However, if you're buying expensive steaks for a special celebration dinner, you might not want to buy the ones marked "sell by" or "use by" today. They won't be at their peak of perfection. They'd be safe to eat (if stored and cooked properly), but they might not be quite as tasty and perfect as a steak that was just butchered. I frequently buy the meats that have been marked down due to reaching their "use by" or "sell by" dates, re-package them at home, store them properly, and use them in a hearty spaghetti sauce or casserole, or in well-seasoned burgers.

As for storing the cooked chicken breasts, refer to the link I posted and see the charts at the end.

This does not really answer your question per se...

BUT, I finally bought a 'foodsaver'...I wish I had done so YEARS ago. Now, I buy meat in bulk, and freeze it in portions small enough for me...and my twins. I date it, freeze it, and IF other kiddos come home, I thaw extra small packages.

It is good for a LOT of things...google...

**and NO, I do NOT get a 'kick back' from foodsaver***

lol
Best!

Freezing voids that date. Once it's frozen, it's good until you're ready to thaw and cook it. Once cooked, they're good in the fridge for about a week or can be refrozen.

Elena B has great resources for the freezing, using, storing info that you need.

I only have a suggestion - grill a few packages of chicken cutlet at a time - toss them in a zip-loc bag and freeze them within a few hours of grilling. They will be fresh to put on a sandwich, salad, quesadilla, etc. I often make a salad to bring to work and put the grilled chicken cutlet in a plastic bad. by lunch time it's defrosted.

A package of ground meat shouldn't take more than a few hours to completely defrost on your countertop. Since it's ground, you can even cut or break that frozen block up into smaller pieces that will defrost much more quickly. I have whole turkeys take a couple of days in the fridge, but I don't understand why you'd need that kind of time for any ground meat.

Ground meats do go bad faster than whole cuts. When you freeze by the recommended date, the meat at that point should still be quite safe.

Cooked chicken, refrigerated in a clean, airtight container, should last at least 3 or 4 days. Sitting out at room temp until lunchtime could get a little risky on older leftovers, though, so I wouldn't hold it any longer that 3 days for hubby's lunches, unless he has an insulated lunch bag or is able to refrigerate it at work.

Why does it take a day or two to defrost?

Are you...me? I also am not very domestic and also very weird about meat and downright freaky about food safety.

I would say your ground turkey will be fine to eat if you froze on the date on the package, even with a day of thawing in the fridge (it should not take two whole days to defrost ground meat unless it's a really huge portion--don't freeze things in huge portions as it requires too long to defrost). Take it out of the container in which you froze it and place it in another container (with some room around the meat) to thaw; ALWAYS thaw IN the fridge and not on a countertop; and cook thoroughly using a meat thermometer to ensure it's totally cooked -- you cannot always tell by looking. I can't recall the proper temp for ground turkey but you can research it online.

Please don't try to accelerate thawing of any meats by running a container under warm water in the sink. You'll end up with meat that's still frozen in the center but mushy on the outside layers and that's lousy for cooking -- it affects the texture. Also, it's not good food safety at all; even if the ground meat is in a package or container, rinsing just risks spreading the raw meat juices around your sink, spigot and countertops, which is a big no-no.

It is also never necessary to rinse off chicken breasts, whole chickens or cuts of beef or pork in the sink -- ever. Proper cooking kills bacteria on meats, yet people still will feel they must rinse raw chicken breasts or whole chickens or raw steak in the sink because mom did....Totally unnecessary and only spreads bacteria if the meat has any on it. (Someone's bound to post, but you must rinse raw meats!, and it just ain't so -- check this link or search online....)
http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/dont-w...

Regarding chicken breasts cooked on Sunday, I sometimes do that too and they are generally fine all week, but are less appetizing after too long....Cook up some rice by about Wednesday and chop up the remaining chicken to serve over rice, etc. I don't much like the same cooked meat for more than a few days, but you can cook it and freeze the cooked meat to use later in the week too.