Note to the thrifty housewife: terms and conditions of storage of semi-finished meat products

Thrifty housewives practice preparing various semi-finished meat products (dumplings, cutlets, vegetables stuffed with minced meat, chops) in volumes larger than can be eaten at once.

The excess is usually frozen so that, if necessary, you always have a nourishing, tasty and quick-to-prepare product on hand.

How to ensure proper storage of semi-finished meat products and what their shelf life is, read the article.

How long to store?

Depending on the type and composition of the semi-finished product, the terms and conditions of its storage differ.

Lumpy

This category includes parts of the carcass separated from bones and large veins:

• loin,
• tenderloin,
• fillet.

Typically the weight of each piece does not exceed 3 kg. After cutting, such meat can be kept in the refrigerator for no more than 1.5 days. Place it in a clean and dry glass or enamel bowl with a lid.

Packed in cling film or foil and placed in the freezer, the chilled pulp will safely last for 4 months. In a vacuum bag, the shelf life of the semi-finished product increases to 10 months.

Portioned

This group includes parts of the pulp, cut across the grain and used for frying:

• steak,
• schnitzel,
• entrecote,
• splint,
• chop.

Placed in enameled glass containers on edge in one row, semi-finished products without spices will remain fresh for up to 36 hours at a temperature of +2 +4 degrees. In the freezer, sealed, they can last 3-4 months.

Small pieces

Goulash, stew (pieces of pulp with small bones), kebab. Small-piece (piece size up to 5 cm) semi-finished products are placed in trays or containers, in 1-2 layers. At a temperature of +2 +4 degrees the product remains edible for 12 hours, at 0 degrees – up to 16 hours.

Such semi-finished products are placed in the freezer, packed in plastic containers with lids, in tight bags with a zipper. Shelf life – 2 months. They will last up to 6 months in vacuum bags.

Chopped

To this class of semi-finished products relate:

• raw minced meat cutlets,
• bits,
• meatballs,
• meatballs,
• zrazy.

These products can be stored for a short time in the refrigerator, at a temperature of +2 +4 degrees, for about 12 hours.

Chopped semi-finished products for long shelf life put in the freezer:

1. After production, the products are placed on a wooden board so that they do not touch each other. Cover with cling film to prevent the meat from drying out and absorbing foreign odors.
2. Cool for 2-4 hours in the refrigerator, then put in the freezer.
3. After 4-5 hours, completely frozen semi-finished products are removed from the board and poured into portioned bags or containers with tight lids.

At a temperature of -6 degrees they can be stored for 2 months, at -18 for up to 6 months.

Stuffed with meat

Such meat dishes are popular in our culture, suitable for storage:

• ready-made pancakes stuffed with meat;
• dumplings;
• cabbage rolls;
• raw bell peppers stuffed with meat.

Ready-made stuffed pancakes do not spoil in the refrigerator (temperature +2 +4 degrees) for 2-3 days. They will last 2-3 months in the freezer (at -5 – 7 degrees), and up to 6 months in the freezer (at 18 degrees).

The rest of the semi-finished products with raw meat in the refrigerator will not spoil within 36 hours, in the freezer for 2-3 months. When deep frozen, they will remain fresh for 5-6 months.

The product can be stored under these conditions for up to 6 months.. Defrost the pies in the microwave or naturally at room temperature.

Features for beef

Beef, compared to pork, contains a lower percentage of fat and has a coarser structure.

Due to these features it degrades more slowly, but this does not mean that semi-finished beef products can be kept warm for a long time.

For semi-finished beef products, all the above conditions and storage periods in the refrigerator and freezer are valid. But what to do if you need to preserve a product, but there is no refrigerator? The experience of our ancestors will come to the rescue.

In fat

Suitable for this storage method:

• small pieces of semi-finished beef without bones,
• cutlets,
• stuffed peppers,
• cabbage rolls

Filling – melted animal fat or melted butter:

1. Beef pieces must be well salted and peppered. Cutlets, peppers and cabbage rolls already contain salted minced meat; they do not need to be seasoned with spices.
2. Melt the fat or butter until completely liquid.
3. Pour a little fat into a deep frying pan and fry pieces of meat and semi-finished products over medium heat, carefully turning them from side to side. If necessary, add water or broth to prevent the product from becoming too fried.
4. Cooked meat, cutlets, cabbage rolls and peppers are carefully placed in jars, along with melted fat or melted butter. It is very important to prevent air bubbles from remaining in the fat mass; to do this, do not shake the jar too much.
5. The jars filled to the top (the fat should reach the edges of the neck) are rolled up.

Store the product in a dark and cool place (pantry, cellar, cabinet in the coolest corner of the kitchen) for up to a year. Before eating, place the jar in a water bath and heat it slightly so that the fat becomes semi-liquid. Semi-finished products are taken out of the container and heated in the usual way; excess fat can be boiled and reused.

Video on the topic of the article

Preparation and storage of semi-finished meat products - in the video:

Conclusion

Semi-finished meat products, especially chopped ones, spoil faster than regular piece meat without spices. It is important to follow recommendations on storage conditions and remember the danger of eating spoiled meat, which can lead to poisoning.