Wrap Your Meat When Freezing While a vacuum-sealer is ideal for ensuring that meats are packaged correctly, you can get by just fine with double wrapping cuts of meat with freezer paper, aluminum foil or airtight zip-loc bags.
The trick to freezing meat, according to the Food and Drug Administration and the Meat Sciences department at Texas A&M University, is to wrap it twice, preferably in heavy duty aluminum foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper, or put the whole package inside a plastic bag.
Steak, ground meat, chicken, pork, whatever, it all works well with ziploc bags.
Wrap each steak individually with plastic wrap, not butcher paper or aluminum foil, and seal it as tightly as possible. Place the wrapped steaks in a resealable freezer bag and set the freezer as close to 0°F as it will go. The colder, the better. Steaks packaged this way will keep very well for about 3 months.
Food grade materials, such as aluminum foil, heavy freezer-weight plastic bags, heavy plastic wrap and parchment or freezer paper are excellent choices. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping, but this type of wrap is thin and lets air in.
But more importantly, let's find out how to freeze steak with the right technique. Assuming you use the right technique to store your steak in the freezer, a steak freezer life can last anywhere between four to twelve months at 0°F (-17.8°C) safely.
“However, if the bag was used to store raw meat, fish, eggs or other allergy-triggering foods, we do not recommend reusing.” The best method? The representative from SC Johnson says, “We'd recommend washing with soap and water and letting air dry.” Don't turn them inside out, or you risk ripping the seams.
How long is raw steak good in the fridge? Store raw steak in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. However, pay attention to sell-by dates and the expiration date. Steak may remain fresh for a few days past their sell-by dates, but you should freeze steak before its expiration date if you won't use it by that date.
It's not recommended to thaw steak (or any meat) in water without proper wrapping. Thawing meat in water can promote bacterial growth, and not wrapping it increases the risk of contamination. Use a leak-proof plastic bag or airtight container to prevent water from coming into contact with the steak.
Yes. You can use regular zip-top storage bags in the freezer. However, foods stored in these bags in the freezer might not hold up as well over long periods of time, and can be more prone to punctures and rips.
If you're storing them less than 48 hours then leave them uncovered in the fridge. Cold air is dry air and drying out the surface of your steak makes getting a good crust easier. Longer than that I'd recommend a vacuum seal and they should be good for a few weeks in the fridge when vacuum sealed.
Proper packaging helps maintain quality and prevent freezer burn. Aluminum foil, freezer paper, plastic containers, and plastic freezer bags will help food maintain optimum quality in the freezer. Plastic wrap alone will not provide enough protection by itself, but can be used to separate foods within another package.
You want to have as little air that's possible next to the food you're freezing. I use plastic/shrink wrap and make sure to keep it tight around the steak and several layers thick. Place wrapped steak into freezer bag and remove the air as much as possible. I have no issues with this method and it's cheap.
If you properly wrap it, frozen steak can last up to a year or longer in the freezer. When it's time to defrost, thaw meat in the refrigerator or a bowl of cold water and not at room temperature, where there is a much higher chance of spoilage. After a steak is thawed, you should not refreeze it.
Does Freezing Steak Affect Taste? Nope! If you properly wrap your steak and don't leave it for ages, steaks will taste delicious even after freezing. You can use a defrosted steak in any steak recipe.
Wrap Your Meat When Freezing
While a vacuum-sealer is ideal for ensuring that meats are packaged correctly, you can get by just fine with double wrapping cuts of meat with freezer paper, aluminum foil or airtight zip-loc bags. The plastic wrapping from the store is designed for quick access, not freezing.
Freezer burn is a term for the moisture lost from frozen food. It's what happens when meat left in your freezer for a long time loses moisture and begins to look discolored or shriveled. The surface may be covered in ice crystals. When you thaw foods that look like this, you'll notice that their texture appears tough.
Plastic containers, glass containers or jars, or freezer bags all work great. Be sure you have freezer bags instead of “storage bags.” Storage bags use a thinner plastic and aren't designed for the freezer.
In general, freezing improves meat tenderness, but negatively impacts other quality attributes. The extent to which these attributes are affected depends on the ice crystalline size and distribution, which itself is governed by freezing rate and storage temperature and duration.
Always put raw meats into a disposable plastic bag before putting them in a reusable bag. A disposable plastic bag will help contain any juices that drip off raw meat, fish and poultry packages. These juices will then be unable to touch other foods and contaminate them.