Is it possible to freeze boiled meat: recommendations and tips

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Every hostess is faced with such a phenomenon as a catastrophic lack of time. And of course, first of all, the question arises about the proper nutrition of households in the current conditions. Semi-finished products, modern kitchen devices (slow cookers, grills) come to the rescue. Freezing at home is a great time saver. Grated vegetables, cheese, fried mushrooms can be put in the freezer. At the right moment, all this instantly turns into a roast for soup, gravy or filling for a pie. Is it possible to freeze boiled meat?

Myths and facts

Some housewives believe that freezing is just a lifesaver. Others, on the contrary, are sure that finished products should either be eaten or thrown away. And no exceptions. Who is right, let's figure it out together. So, the six most common myths:

• You can freeze any food. There are manynuances. Young housewives do not see the difference between storing cherries or strawberries, fresh herbs or mushrooms in the chamber. And she is. Cherries will retain their shape and taste, ripe strawberries will turn into porridge when defrosted. Fresh herbs do not tolerate low temperatures, if you want to save them for the winter, then dry or s alt. Creamy sauces do not tolerate such a temperature difference; they usually curl up. Do not freeze eggs in shell or canned food. This doesn't answer the question of whether or not boiled meat can be frozen, but we'll get to that soon.
• Time stops in the cell. Products may lie here indefinitely. This is correct, but only in part. The temperature in the freezer plays a role: the lower it is, the longer the shelf life. But if you want to get not just food after defrosting, but a tasty and he althy dish, then you should not keep it there for too long. Soups, stews and casseroles should be consumed within 2 months. Speaking about whether it is worth freezing boiled meat, we can recommend such experiments with full confidence, but it must be consumed within 3 months. Raw meat products can be edible for 12 months. Cooked poultry up to 4 months.

Safety and taste

• Freezing kills bacteria. This is not true. If products with traces of contamination were sent to the freeze, then the pathogenic microflora will stop its growth, but will begin to develop again after thawing. The only way to get rid of it is toquality heat treatment.
• After defrosting, food must not be refrozen. This is one of the most discussed recommendations. And everyone interprets it in their own way. In particular, the debate over whether boiled meat can be frozen also grows out of it. In fact, you can re-place raw foods in the freezer if they have lain warm for no more than an hour. For cooked meat, there are even fewer restrictions. But you need to understand that ice crystals break the structure of the meat, and the more repeated procedures are carried out, the worse the quality of the finished dish. You won't get poisoned, but the taste will be completely different.
• Frozen food has fewer nutrients than fresh food. The bottom line here is what quality the product was placed in the freezer. If this is a summer berry in all the juice, then the benefits from it in winter will be much greater than from fresh, but grown in winter conditions in a greenhouse. But if the meat began to deteriorate and was saved by being placed in a freezer, then you should not hope that it will restore its qualities, taste and smell.

Practical recommendations

Raw meat in the freezer does not surprise anyone. It is the basis of daily meals. But sometimes, circumstances require a revision of the menu. This is usually due to saving time or money. And sometimes both. For the purposes of a sensible approach to home economics, it is worthwhile to find out if boiled chicken meat can be frozen.

For example, the chicken was boiled whole. Of course, such an abundance of meat food will not please the body. It's okay, you can cook a lot of delicious dishes from it. It's practical and useful. When part of the boiled bird is separated for a lunch dish, the rest should not be put in the refrigerator. Even if she lies no more than 2-3 days, it is still better to freeze.

Preparation steps

There is also an element of planning. Immediately think about how you will use this carcass. If you need it all at once, then you can pack it in one package. Otherwise, cut it into pieces. The second method is better, since if necessary, you can get several bags or even all at once. But it is much more difficult to divide a frozen carcass until it is completely thawed. Most of the discussions on the topic of whether it is possible to freeze boiled chicken meat just relate to this moment. Well, just follow the plan:

• Each piece must be packed in a tight bag and signed.
• Boiled poultry should be stored at -18 degrees, no longer than 6 days.
• After defrosting, the meat should be used immediately. Repeated prolonged heat treatment or placing back into the freezer leads to the destruction of the tissue structure, a sharp loss of protein and trace elements.

Children's menu

Complementary foods for a baby begin to be given at about 6 months. After vegetable purees, it's time to taste the meat. And every mother faces one problem. Cooking a small piece every day for a baby is very inconvenient, it takes a lot of time. Is it possible to freeze boiled meat for a child?

Yes, many mothers use this method. Someone freezes small meatballs from raw minced meat,to then stew them with vegetables for lunch. Others boil the chicken, divide it into 3-4 servings at once and put it in the freezer. After that, it remains only to put the contents of the bag into a saucepan, add vegetables, and after 15 minutes the soup is ready.

Smoked meats for hodgepodge

Since freezing can significantly extend the life of products, you can take advantage of this and make a blank for first courses. Pea soup, hodgepodge, fragrant Kiev-style borscht - all these dishes cannot do without meat with "smoke". Is it possible to freeze boiled-smoked meat? Yes, it perfectly retains properties. The only negative is that after defrosting it loses its juiciness.

• Cut into portions.
• Pack only in freezer bags. After that, put them all in another bag. The aroma of smoked meats is able to penetrate into other products.
• Very handy to have this bag in the freezer in case you want to make a salad. Add an egg, mayonnaise, croutons or a cucumber for a great appetizer.

Storing beef or pork

Poultry meat is good because it cooks quickly. But often there is an allergic reaction to it, especially in children. In this case, you have to abandon it and switch to young beef. Is it possible to freeze boiled meat in this case? It is tougher and more fibrous, so it is even more difficult to cook 60g pieces for a long time every day.

Beef is no different from chicken. Cut well-cooked meat into portions and freeze. The broth can also be stored separately. In this case, there will always be a semi-finished product for a quick lunch at hand.