Note to the housewife: how and for how long can a goose be stored?
Goose meat has many beneficial properties. To preserve them, the product must be properly maintained.
There are several options for preserving goose meat for a long time in order to preserve all its beneficial qualities.
How, under what conditions and for how long you can store a goose, we will tell you in the article.
Content
Preparation for storage
When choosing meat for storage, it is important to pay attention to its quality. Only a fresh carcass without flaws can lie for a long time.
Selection rules:
- nice smell;
- dry surface;
- color – light yellow or pink;
- a young goose has a soft, weakly defined spur on its paws;
- the beak is yellow and elastic;
- throat pink inside.
Purchased fresh goose must be prepared for storage:
- Pluck.
- Gut it.
- Wash.
Place
Fresh goose meat is a perishable product, so it must be stored in compliance with a number of rules. Otherwise, the goose meat will quickly disappear and become unfit for food. It is better to choose a cool and dark place for the product.
In a refrigerator
The refrigerator is a convenient place to store fresh goose at home for a limited time before cooking.
Immediately after slaughter The carcass should sit in the refrigerator for about a day, and only then should it be salted, pickled or subjected to other processing.
The goose is placed on the shelf of the refrigerator compartment, packaged, making sure that it does not come into contact with other products, including meat. Before storing, the carcass must be wrapped in vinegar-soaked cotton cloth, foil or parchment.
In the freezer
Freezing goose allows you to store it for a long time. Before putting the product in the freezer, it must be cooled in the refrigerator for 20-24 hours and only then frozen.
The best option is to maintain the temperature in the freezer at -18? C. With this method of maintaining meat reserves, it is important to immediately decide whether the carcass will be cooked in the future whole or in portions. In the latter case, it should be divided into parts.
It is advisable to pack the meat in bags (it is better to choose dense ones with a zip fastener). If the goose is large, it may not fit into a standard compartment of a household freezer. Blast freezing involves rapid freezing by exposure to low temperatures.
In addition to the standard type of freezing, you can use the ice crust storage method. To implement it, you should act in stages:
- Wash the bird. There is no need to dry it.
- Place the goose wet in the freezer.
- After a thin crust of ice has appeared on the surface of the carcass, the bird is taken out and watered with cold water.
- The carcass is put back into the freezer.
- The process of pouring cold water over it and placing it in the freezer is repeated several times until the ice crust becomes strong.
- The meat is placed in a plastic bag and sent to the freezer.
At room temperature
Without a refrigerator, meat cannot be stored for a long time in a warm apartment. You need to start cooking it right away.
You can preserve meat for up to a day if you immediately rub it with vegetable oil.. You can also add finely chopped onion and/or dill.
The higher the air temperature, the faster the spoilage process occurs.
On the street
When purchasing a goose for future use in winter, you can leave it frozen on the balcony. But if the weather is warm, this option will not work. In changeable weather, with significant temperature fluctuations, this option for storing meat is not acceptable.
Deadlines
The shelf life of fresh goose depends on the conditions in which it is located. The lower the temperature, the longer the meat can sit.
Storage | Conditions | Shelf life |
Fridge | Chamber 0?C | Up to 2 weeks |
Shelf | Up to 7 days | |
Freezer | -18?C | Up to a year |
Room conditions | Room temperature | 4 hours |
In addition to the suggested methods, Drying meat can significantly extend shelf life. This is not a quick process, but a goose that has undergone this treatment can be kept for up to 2 years. Alternative options include hot and cold smoking.
The process of drying geese in Tatar style is on video:
How to increase the shelf life of a product?
The easiest way to organize long-term storage of poultry meat is freezing. If it is impossible to organize it, The following expert advice will help:
- First you need to rub the carcass with the fat of the goose itself;
- wrap the carcass in cotton cloth soaked in vinegar (in the future you need to make sure that the material remains moist and does not dry out);
- marinate or salt the meat.
Extend the shelf life of fresh goose meat you can use these recipes:
- Soak the goose pieces in the curdled milk until they are completely covered with liquid.
- Wrap the cut goose in nettle leaves and then wrap it in parchment.
- Pour a solution of water and vinegar over the goose.
- Use mustard solution. It is prepared at the rate of 4 tablespoons of powder for each liter of water. The resulting mixture is coated with the bird and then placed in a parchment package.
Whatever option is chosen, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the product and, if spoilage is suspected, throw it away immediately.
Signs of damage
If goose meat is stored for a long time, it may deteriorate. This can be determined by the following signs:
- unpleasant odor from the carcass;
- sticky surface;
- the beak is not elastic;
- cloudy fat;
- after pressing on the flesh, the hole that appears does not disappear quickly, then the goose is no longer fresh;
- mold or mucus on the carcass.
10 useful tips
When selecting and storing a goose The following recommendations will help:
- Only high-quality, not stale meat should be sent for storage.
- The larger the carcass, the tastier the dish will be after cooking, since a small one (up to 3 kg) will dry out and become tough during heat treatment. Optimally – a goose weighing 4 kilograms.
- Meat should not be re-frozen after defrosting.
- It is better to store pieces from different geese separately.
- You can buy the goose already frozen, and it will continue to be stored at home. It is important to check the expiration date of the product at the time of purchase.
- It must be taken into account that even a small goose is a large bird and can take up a significant part of the freezer.
- You cannot keep a goose in the freezer without packaging. If this rule is violated, the product will lose moisture, oxidize and absorb foreign odors.
- When storing meat in solutions (to extend shelf life), it is necessary to use glass or enamel containers to eliminate the possibility of oxidation.
- The legs of a young bird are yellowish, while those of an old bird are red.
- When plucking a carcass, it is advisable to start from the tail, making sure that the skin is not damaged.
Conclusion
Goose meat is a healthy food product, as it contains substances necessary for the body. In order for them to be preserved to the maximum extent for a long time, it is necessary to take a very responsible approach to the issue of organizing meat storage.