Shelf life of minced meat and can it be frozen with onions in the freezer

Minced meat is minced meat that can be mixed with various additional ingredients: milk, spices or onions. It is used to prepare cutlets, meat casseroles, soups and other dishes.

Sometimes women buy or prepare large quantities of product for festive events, so the question arises whether it is possible to freeze minced meat with onions or extend its shelf life by other methods. It all depends on what meat it is made from and what additional ingredients it contains.

How and how long to store different types of minced meat

The shelf life of any product depends on its composition. If minced meat is purchased ready-made, it contains special additives designed to increase shelf life. Salt and pepper, onions and other spices are added to it. It is allowed to mix meat with other ingredients, such as vegetables, to obtain a rich and unusual taste.

Attention! The raw materials are used to prepare cutlets, cabbage rolls, dumplings, meatballs and many other dishes.

Different types of minced meat are used in the cooking process:

• meat;
• vegetable;
• fish;
• mushroom.

The most popular is minced meat made from chicken, beef or pork. Often different types of meat are mixed to obtain a homogeneous mass that is not high in fat or overpriced. Chicken raw material is popular due to its affordable price and pleasant taste.

Attention! It is advisable to buy fresh product rather than frozen.

Minced meat is even made from rabbit meat, and it contains many vitamins and minerals. The protein is completely digestible, so this meat is suitable even for people with allergies. There are products made from lamb or elk meat. Minced fish allows you to make delicious cutlets that are healthy for children and adults.

Each housewife can make the raw material herself and store it in the freezer for a long time. This product can be stored in the refrigerator for only a few hours. If there are additional ingredients, the minced meat retains its freshness and properties only for six hours.

When purchasing a finished product, it is important to look at the expiration date indicated on the packaging. The following rules are taken into account:

• The shelf life of minced meat in original packaging in the refrigerator is one day;
• if the integrity of the packaging is compromised, the mass is transferred to an airtight container or packed in cling film or parchment, and then stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours separately from other products;
• In the freezer, minced meat can be frozen for a period of six months to a year, depending on the composition.

Attention! If you are freezing homemade products, it is advisable to divide them into separate portions before freezing so that you do not have to defrost too much meat.

Method number 2. Using ice cube trays

This freezing method is suitable if you then plan to make meatballs or meatballs from the minced meat. It is best to use large molds that can hold a piece large enough to cook 1 meat ball.

Advice! Use silicone molds if you want to end up serving the dish in an unusual way: in the shape of hearts, squares, stars. In this case, you need to remove the product by placing the frozen figures in boiling water for 1-2 minutes.

You can freeze the product like this: cover the container with cling film and fill each well with a small amount of minced meat. Cover the top with another layer of film and place the mold in the freezer.

You can sort the minced meat into small bags (60-100 g each) so that it defrosts faster. This method is perfect for preparing cutlets and portioned dishes.

Frozen meat does not last indefinitely in the freezer. It is important that the bags are tightly closed. Then the meat will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 months. If the bags are not tightly closed and the minced meat is often exposed to air, then it can last no more than 3 months.

Which product is suitable for freezing?

Freezing allows you to preserve the taste and beneficial properties of raw materials for a long time, but the procedure is performed exclusively for fresh products, so a rotten smell is not allowed.

If meat products are purchased ready-made, it is advisable not to try to store them in the freezer; it is better to use the mass within the specified expiration date.

Attention! Some housewives are sure that it is only allowed to freeze chopped meat without additives such as salt, spices, milk or onions, but in fact it is allowed to store masses with other ingredients in the freezer for a long time.

Meat without additives lasts much longer in the freezer, but after defrosting the minced meat with onions or other ingredients, you can immediately begin the cooking process. You can freeze products in bags, individual portions or in special molds. Experts recommend storing the mass in the freezer for a maximum of six months, but sometimes it is allowed to increase the period to one year.

What about minced fish and onions?

It is better to freeze absolutely any minced meat in its pure form, without onions. Minced fish is no exception. It itself tolerates freezing worse than meat. After defrosting, the fibers gain a lot of moisture, and the mass loses its already slight stickiness. Cutlets from it turn out dry, crumbly, not juicy.

Professional chefs advise using exclusively fresh minced fish. It is made from fish that has not been frozen and soaked in cream.

Onions add juiciness and a piquant flavor to the minced meat.

Storage at room temperature

If it is not possible to put meat products in the freezer or refrigerator, it is important to know how long you can store minced meat in the room. Under such conditions, the shelf life of the product is significantly reduced.

Attention! At temperatures from 15 to 26°C, meat products retain their freshness and beneficial properties for a maximum of three hours.

But even without a refrigerator it is possible to preserve the freshness of meat. For example, if people live in a private house, the raw materials can be placed in a cellar or basement to cool: the meat is first placed in a non-metallic container and wrapped in cling film. The shelf life of minced meat in a dark and cool place is one day.

Storage of semi-finished products

You can prepare a wide variety of semi-finished products from minced meat, and then put them in the freezer. Many people are interested in how long dumplings and other preparations can be stored in the freezer.

1. Cutlets are stored in plastic bags for no more than 10 days.
2. It is recommended to store dumplings in undamaged store packaging or plastic containers for no more than 30 days at a humidity of less than 50% and a temperature of (-18) degrees.

Very often, ready-made store-bought products indicate a shelf life of up to 12 months. The price of such products is affordable. But it is not difficult to understand that such products are very dangerous for your body, since they contain many additives that are harmful.

How to store in the refrigerator

Typically, women prefer to buy chilled raw materials. The minced meat should be immediately placed in the refrigerator, where it will be stored for 12 to 24 hours. But the exact period depends on the quality of the raw materials used, the type of product and the presence of additives.

It is important to know how long minced meat can be stored in the refrigerator without freezing in order to prevent spoilage of the product. Refrigerated raw materials can be stored for no more than a day, but taking into account the following recommendations:

• the meat is transferred from the original packaging into an airtight container or deep plate covered with cling film or foil;
• different types of meat are laid out in separate containers; mixing them is allowed only before use;
• salt increases shelf life, but degrades taste;
• It is not recommended to add spices or garlic in advance.

Even with these tips, it is not allowed to store meat mass in the refrigerator for more than one day.

Chilled products

If the frozen mixture is placed in the refrigerator, it can be stored for two days as the mixture will defrost slowly.

Refrigerated products, which can be purchased or prepared independently, are left at a temperature of 0 to 5°C for a maximum of 24 hours. The fish mass is stored in the refrigerator for no more than six hours, and the mushroom product can be left there for two days.

Table: assessment of methods for defrosting minced meat

How long can you store in the freezer?

In the freezer, any product retains its properties and taste for a long time. This storage method is considered convenient, but it is advisable to use labeling in order to use raw meat in a timely manner.

The packaged product will keep in the freezer for four to six months. If it is periodically taken out for partial defrosting, the period is reduced to three months. Do-it-yourself minced meat from fresh meat can be stored in the freezer for 8 to 12 months, but contact with fresh air is not allowed.

Is it possible to freeze minced meat with milk and onions?

Often, after cooking, there is some shredded meat left over mixed with other ingredients. Therefore, the question arises: is it possible to store minced meat with onions in the freezer? It is allowed to freeze meat products with various additives, such as onions, garlic, spices and even milk. But this reduces the shelf life: it does not exceed several days.

Minced meat with onions is used to prepare cutlets, dumplings and other dishes. You can freeze it in small portions, but for a maximum of seven days. Otherwise, the ingredients will lose their beneficial properties and taste.

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What minced meat should not be defrosted?

It is prohibited to defrost certain types of product:

• an improperly stored product that has changed its color to gray or green, sticks to your hands, and has an unpleasant odor;
• a semi-finished product with a gray-pinkish color, which indicates its improper storage and active growth of bacteria inside;
• green product that has spoiled even before freezing;
• minced meat containing any amount of soy;
• a product with traces of mold, stored for more than three months inside the freezer, past its expiration date.

Meat products for freezing

Since minced meat can be stored in the refrigerator for a short time, it is better to place it in the freezer. Products must be manufactured on the day of purchase. You can only freeze chopped meat that you have prepared yourself. There should be no additives in it.

If you freeze the product in one piece, it will be very difficult to separate it (if necessary, use a small amount of meat). It is better to divide the mass into small portions of 300 grams (approximately). It is rolled into balls and then placed in the freezer.

This way you can speed up the cooking time. If the ball is turned into a layer whose width is approximately 2 centimeters, then it will defrost much faster.

Definition of freshness

When buying minced meat in a store or at the market , every housewife thinks about its freshness and the products from which it was made.

First of all, when buying store-bought minced meat, you should pay attention to the following characteristics:

1. The color can range from light pink to dark red. If the product has an atypical shade, then this indicates that it is stale.
2. Date of manufacture. The composition, expiration date and other information must be indicated on the product packaging.
3. The smell should be reminiscent of fresh meat.
4. The structure should be uniform, without any inclusions, fibers or mucus.
5. A good quality product should not contain food additives (preservatives, soy protein and salt).