Freezing good cuts of meat

[Katie E]

Originally Posted by knight76

So, now to buy a vaccuum storage system. I know this site is free, but it is costing me money with all the stuff I am going to buy.

Cheers for the help.

Hey, we all need "toys."

[sattie]

FoodSaver is great for meats. Although in a perfect world it would be nice to eat everything you bought, but when trying to take advantage of sales or being remote to purchasing fresh food, I think the FoodSaver is a great way to preserve good cuts of anything. I think Andy M's suggestion will work great as well if a vacuum packing is not an option for you.

[mcnerd]

I use the vacuum-seal packaging also for emergency supplies, first-aid kit supplies, stuff stored in the car and garage, and anywhere else where removal of air will provide long-term protection.

[knight76]

Ah, i took Andy M's response as the vacuum packing.

So basically cling wrap it tight with a few layers and put that into another bag to freeze.

Cool.

[VeraBlue]

Originally Posted by mcnerd

Yes, by all means acquire a half a cow, catch a tuna or swordfish, kill a deer, and after getting all the cuts carved out and packaged.....sit down and eat it all while it is fresh.

Freezing is no problem, nor adverse effect on the food unless it is packaged and frozen wrong that allows for freezer burn and drying out. It will thaw out as nice as the day it was put in.

Nice sarcasm...apparently you've never frequented a butcher shop or a fish monger. I'm sure your way works fine for you, as mine does for me. If I recall, the original poster asked everyone for their thoughts.

[pacanis]

Originally Posted by knight76

The key seems to be as long as you are vaccuum packing the meat it should be quite well preserved and hard to notice a difference when cooked.

So, now to buy a vaccuum storage system. I know this site is free, but it is costing me money with all the stuff I am going to buy.

Cheers for the help.

lol, get used to it.

I did a test of sorts freezing the same cuts using a FS and a Handivac. That was at least three months ago. I see no difference between the two methods as long as the vacuum stays intact. And the Reynolds Handivac was much cheaper. You may want to give it a try and see if it works for you.
BTW, I also wrapped the pieces in plastic wrap so it would be easy to grab what I need and reseal the bag, also to stop the juices from getting sucked into the machines.

[DramaQueen]

Most of my friends freeze meat and fish just as it comes from the supermarket, in styrofoam trays wrapped in cellophane. This packaging is NOT meant to be freezer safe and when I go into their freezer for ice or whatever, I am amazed at the amount of freezer burn on their meat. Why would anyone pay good money for meat and fish, then let it become destroyed by freezer burn?
I invested in a Food Savor a long time ago and it was the best investment I ever made. I prefer to eat steak the day I buy it because I pay a good price for top quality steak and prefer it not be frozen. But the Food Savor is fantastic for all other meats and fish. You have to take the air out of a package because that's what destroys the meat and ice crystals form to further harm it.
Would you take a cashmere sweater and throw in on the floor in your closet? Don't treat your meat that way either.

[GB]

Originally Posted by VeraBlue

Nice sarcasm...apparently you've never frequented a butcher shop or a fish monger.

You live in an area where those things are common. I would venture to say that most people in this day and age do not. I could not tell you where the closest butcher is to me. The last time I saw one was over 20 years ago I think. I am lucky to have a fish monger, but they close before I get home from work so my only option is to buy there on Saturdays or a day off.

Like the others have said, if you take care in how you freeze your meats then you will do just fine. Once the meat is freezer burned then the quality will have suffered.

[Adillo303]

Knight76 -
I appologize if I am off topic, but, of the things that you listed, the potato ricer is minial in cost and has an awful lot of uses besides ricing potatoes, I don't know anything about a saute pan, the vacuum packer, whicheverone you choose, will save you enough in the long run to pay for the other things.

I have been just skushing the air out of a zip lock and calling it a day, I haven't been buying very ahead due to limited refer / freezer space.

We have a gourmet grocery stoer near us (Market Basket). Everything is first quality and costs like first quality. For special meals, I go there the day that I am going to cook the food. For day to day, I split between 4 grocery stores depending on what I need.

What I have learned from this site has greatly improved the quality of what, my enjoyment in cooking it and gotten me a lot of compliments, and, yes, a few new toys.

[VeraBlue]

Originally Posted by GB

You live in an area where those things are common. I would venture to say that most people in this day and age do not. I could not tell you where the closest butcher is to me. The last time I saw one was over 20 years ago I think. I am lucky to have a fish monger, but they close before I get home from work so my only option is to buy there on Saturdays or a day off.

Like the others have said, if you take care in how you freeze your meats then you will do just fine. Once the meat is freezer burned then the quality will have suffered.

And like I said, if that way works for you, great. My way works for me, yet only my way got the song and dance regarding whole cows and fishing boats. It was an uncalled for shot regarding one person's opinion. I don't need or desire an education on how to properly freeze meat. I don't think that was what the original post asked. The post asked what people thought about freezing meat. I don't see how my apparent contrary opinion needed to garner sarcasm or a continued tutorial about the equally apparent opinions of other posts.