What's the Best Way to Freeze Meat?

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Freezing meat is all about convenience: you have to plan ahead and freeze it in a way that makes it easy to use. Here are 10 do's and don'ts when it comes to freezing meat:

Do:

1. Label your packaging with the contents and the freeze date.
2. Freeze in portions you will cook with (e.g. ground meat in 1-pound packages and 4 chicken breasts to each zip-top bag).
3. Chill your freezer to 0°F.
4. Purge regularly to keep foods from being lost.
5. Use your freezer to prolong the life of foods, not a place to ignore them.

1. Don't freeze your food in big blocks that are slow to defrost.
2. Don't freeze unsealed packages. The meat will dry out too much, which will ruin the texture.
3. Don't freeze old meat; package and freeze meat soon after purchasing.
4. Don't forget to use what you frozen. There's no point in saving what you won't eat.
5. Don't freeze oversize cuts of meat. Keep frozen meats to manageable sizes to encourage use.

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