How Store Ground Beef in the Freezer
How to Store Footing Beef the Safe and Piece of cake Mode
Plus, the best fashion to freeze basis beef.
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Ground beef is one of the nigh versatile ingredients out there—and it'south also one of the most perishable. Eating improperly stored ground beef can brand y'all dangerously sick. Here's what you lot demand to know to go along y'all and your family prophylactic:
How Long Does Basis Beef Concluding?
Credit: Vasko/Getty Images
Vasko/Getty Images
Probably non as long as yous call back. Co-ordinate to the USDA, raw ground beef should really only stay in your fridge for 1 to 2 days (yikes).
If you want to go along information technology longer, though, you can ever store information technology in your freezer. It can stay there for around 4 months.
How Practice Yous Know If Ground Beef Is Bad?
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Arijuhani/Getty Images
Use your senses to tell if your raw ground beef is by its prime number:
- Look for discoloration or mold. Skilful ground beefiness should be bright cerise and non brownish. Obviously, if it has mold, it should go direct into the trash. Also take a look at the expiration date—if it'southward USDA-approved beefiness (it should exist), the expiration and sell-by dates should exist clearly marked.
- Smell your footing beef. If information technology has a rancid, tangy smell, that's a sign information technology'southward by its expiration date.
- When you touch it, it should feel cool, smooth, and a piddling moist. Spoiled ground beef can experience viscid or slimy. (But, for the dearest of God, launder your easily thoroughly after touching raw meat).
All the same unsure? When in doubtfulness, throw it out.
Spoiled footing beef, fifty-fifty if information technology'southward cooked all the way through, is never safe to swallow. It may incorporate harmful bacteria that crusade foodborne illnesses. If yous've eaten spoiled meat, you may feel fever, vomiting, breadbasket cramps, and diarrhea. These symptoms are particularly dangerous for the very young, the very one-time, and people with weakened immune systems.
How to Store Ground Beefiness
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AHPhotoswpg/Getty Images
Put your ground beef in the fridge every bit soon as y'all go home from the store. Raw meat shouldn't exist left at room temperature for longer than is absolutely necessary. In fact, information technology's best to pick up ground beefiness toward the end of your shopping trip and head directly home later on yous've made your purchases. If you don't live close to the grocery store, you may want to bring a cooler or thermal purse to concord perishables on your bulldoze home.
Proceed basis beef in the coldest part of your 40° or below fridge (typically, this is toward the back in the main compartment) for i to two days. If possible, shop information technology on the lowest shelf to prevent its juices from leaking onto other foods.
Avoid storing it in the door, as the temperature in this area fluctuates more.
What About Cooked Ground Beef?
Air-condition footing beef—including hamburgers—within 2 hours of cooking.
Store cooked ground beefiness in a shallow, airtight container in the fridge for three to four days.
How to Freeze Ground Beef
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skhoward/Getty Images
To freeze basis beef, merely wrap it tightly in heavy duty plastic wrap, foil, or freezer-safe naught-meridian bags (these reusable freezer bags take more than 500 5-star reviews on Amazon).
You can save storage past flattening the meat with a rolling pivot afterwards information technology's been sealed in a purse, but brand certain no juices leak out onto your counter or rolling pivot.
Write the date on the packages and swallow within four months. The frozen meat volition remain safe across that time, but it will lose quality.
Tip : Freeze beef in the portions you lot plan to cook with later. This manner, yous won't have to thaw and refreeze the same meat multiple times.
How to Thaw Ground Beef
By far, the best and safest style to thaw frozen basis beef is in the refrigerator. Don't even think about letting it sit at room temperature.
Simply move information technology from the freezer to the fridge the night before you program to melt it.
If yous need it thawed more quickly, according to the USDA, yous tin can use the defrost setting on your microwave or put the meat in a water-tight plastic bag and submerge in common cold h2o, changing the water every 30 minutes.
Basis Beef Recipes
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LauriPatterson/Getty Images
Looking for means to apply all that properly stored ground beef? Nosotros've got you covered:
- 35+ Fabulous Ground Beef Recipes
- 10+ Easy Basis Beefiness Recipes With Few Ingredients
- 10+ Super Simple Ground Beef Casseroles
Source: https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/how-to-store-ground-beef