I believe that everyone has meat in their refrigerator, and there is most likely a lot of old meat that has been accumulated. They all find this very convenient. They can buy more meat and save it when they have free time, and eat it directly when they are not free. It just needs some time to defrost.
But do you know? The meat you buy cannot be placed directly in the refrigerator! Although meat can be kept fresh in the refrigerator, there is a limit to how long it can be stored! There is also something special about taking frozen meat out of the refrigerator and thawing it before eating!
Today, Lao Yu will talk to you about the frozen meat in the refrigerator!
1. How to handle meat before putting it in the refrigerator.
Many people will simply handle the meat they just bought before putting it in the refrigerator. For example, wash with water. In fact, this is wrong. Before putting the meat in the refrigerator, we have to decide whether it needs to be washed with water based on the actual situation.
If there is blood on the surface of the meat, or there are some visible dust and other impurities, it must be cleaned first before putting it in the refrigerator. And after cleaning, use clean paper to absorb the moisture on the surface of the meat.
If the surface of the meat looks clean, don't wash it. Because after cleaning, moisture will accumulate on the surface of the meat and even inside the meat. When the meat is put into the refrigerator, the moisture will form ice pimples along with the meat. In this case, the nutrients in the meat will also be destroyed.
When putting it in the refrigerator, we need to use fresh-keeping bags or plastic wrap to wrap the meat as tightly as possible. The advantage of this is:
1, it can avoid the smell of meat and other foods in the refrigerator.
2, it can prevent the meat from growing bacteria in a low-temperature environment.
3, it can prevent water leakage during the freezing process from contaminating other foods in the refrigerator when the meat is just put into the refrigerator.
4, it can also prevent a large amount of water from being released during the freezing process of the meat, which will affect its taste.
2. How long can meat be stored in the refrigerator?
After processing the meat and putting it in the refrigerator, it does not mean that we can keep the meat in the refrigerator indefinitely. Frozen meat placed in the refrigerator actually has an expiration date, and we cannot eat it casually.
Under normal circumstances, it is okay to eat it within 15 days. If it exceeds 15 days, the taste and nutritional value of the meat will be greatly reduced. Especially if it is more than 20 days old, don’t eat it.
Moreover, as the frequency of opening the refrigerator increases, it will also affect the preservation quality of the meat in the refrigerator. The more often the refrigerator is opened, the faster the air will move in the refrigerator and the shorter the shelf life of the meat will be.
To sum up: when storing meat in the refrigerator, pay attention to the expiry date. If it has been left for too long, don’t eat it. Not all frozen meat can be eaten. At the same time, try to provide a high-quality storage space for the meat in the refrigerator and minimize unnecessary opening of the refrigerator door.
Third, it is important to defrost the frozen meat taken out from the refrigerator before eating!
We must thaw the frozen meat in the refrigerator before eating it. How do you perform this step? Put it directly in the air and let it thaw freely? Or soak it in cold water and defrost it? still......?
Regarding this issue, I want to solve a few misunderstandings with you today:
1, frozen meat should not be soaked directly in cold water before thawing it before eating.
Actually, the speed of this defrosting method is very slow. Even initially, the frozen meat will continue to form a single layer of ice in the cold water. Wait until the ice layer melts before thawing the frozen meat.
In addition, directly soaking frozen meat in cold water to defrost will also cause the loss of nutrients in the meat. It's also useless for its taste. After being soaked in cold water, the fibers in the meat will be soaked and dispersed. When you eat it, the taste will definitely be very different.
2, frozen meat must be thawed before eating and cannot be soaked in hot water.
When they take out frozen meat from the refrigerator and are in a hurry to eat it, many people will soak it in hot water and defrost it. Yes, this can indeed speed up the thawing process a lot. However, the taste and quality of the meat will be severely altered.
When frozen meat is soaked in hot water and thawed quickly, a substance called propionaldehyde will be produced. This substance is not good for our health.
3, the correct way to thaw frozen meat before eating:
So, how do we thaw frozen meat?
First of all, we can put it in a place between 4 degrees and 8 degrees to let it thaw naturally. Although this thawing speed is slower, it does not do much damage to the taste and nutritional value of the meat.
In addition, we can also put salt, vinegar, or both substances into the cold water. Then, put in the frozen meat and defrost it.
In this case, the thawing speed of frozen meat will be greatly accelerated. Some small pieces of meat can be defrosted in about 5-10 minutes. If it is a little thicker and larger, it will take a little longer.
More importantly, when frozen meat is soaked in water with salt and vinegar and defrosted, it is not easy to breed bacteria. Therefore, this thawing method is safer and more reliable.
Although we cannot do without the frozen meat in the refrigerator when we eat meat on a daily basis, the frozen meat in the refrigerator really cannot be eaten casually. From putting it in the refrigerator, to storing it, to thawing it, everything is very particular.
Friends, what else do you know about the frozen meat in the refrigerator and what should you pay attention to when eating it? Everyone is welcome to leave a message in the comment area!
