How to store chilled meat at home

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Chilled meat needs to be stored properly, this is important so that bacteria do not start to multiply in it and you do not get food poisoning. Different types of meat – beef, pork, lamb – are stored in about the same way, except that lean beef can be stored a little longer than other types. But the difference is not important.

Details

Before you put the meat in the refrigerator for storage, it must be removed from the bag or cling film (this does not apply to vacuum packaging!). It is best to store meat in a glass or plastic food container. If you bought just a piece of meat without packaging, then at a temperature above zero, which is usually stored in the refrigerator, it can be stored for a very short time, 1-2 days, no more.

If there is manufacturer's packaging, then it should have an expiration date under certain storage conditions. For example, store for three days at a temperature of 0 degrees, and at a temperature of -12 degrees for three months.

You can add 1-2 days to the shelf life of chilled meat if you wrap the piece in a clean waffle towel and ensure a stable temperature, that is, put the meat as deep as possible and open the refrigerator door as rarely as possible.

If you can provide the meat with a temperature just below zero (for example, quite low temperatures are maintained in old refrigerators in a tray under the freezer, the meat even freezes slightly there), or you have the opportunity to store the meat on a balcony, in a closed cabinet or box (it is important to protect the product from exhaust gases as best as possible, if there is a highway nearby), then the meat can be stored for 2 weeks. This does not apply to chicken meat – it can be stored for 4-5 days from the date of manufacture both at a temperature slightly above 0 and slightly below.

Vacuum-packed meat.Typically, such meat is stored in the refrigerator for 21 days from the date of manufacture. But provided that it has not been exposed to heat. Of course, we cannot be completely sure that the store or manufacturer stored the meat in a vacuum correctly, but usually reputable manufacturers care about their reputation and do not make such mistakes. They also make sure that their products are stored correctly in stores. Therefore, we would recommend buying vacuum-packed meat in reliable places, and when unpacking, look carefully at the product. It should not have an unpleasant odor, there should be no mucus, darkening and other signs of spoilage and rot. If you vacuum pack the meat you buy at the market yourself, you can, of course, extend its shelf life, but we do not recommend keeping it in the refrigerator for more than 10-12 days, because there is not always certainty about the correct slaughter date and correct cooling after it.

We often buy semi-finished products: spiced meat in stores.. This can be meat for a barbecue or a preparation for baking. Perhaps you marinated the meat. The shelf life of meat in a marinade depends on the nature of the marinade. If you pour meat with spices simply with still water, kefir or mayonnaise, it will be able to “hold out” for 1 day. If the marinade contains acid, vinegar or lemon juice, this will delay the reproduction of pathogenic bacteria, the meat can be stored for no longer than 3 days. But you need to be careful: storing barbecue in a marinade is not very good for its taste. The meat can absorb a lot of acid. If you used kiwi or pineapple as a marinade (fruit marinades are very popular now because of their quick effect on meat), then in this case the kebab should not be left in the marinade even overnight, because the fruit has too strong an effect and can eat away at the meat fibers and turn the future kebab into jelly even in 8-10 hours.

Therefore, we would not recommend storing raw meat with kiwi or pineapple. It is better to fry it immediately. If you marinated the kebab in a vinegar marinade, then long-term storage will have a bad effect on the taste of the meat, it will have a lot of acid. Marinated kebab should be stored in a glass or plastic food container, you can put it in enameled dishes. You cannot put the meat in a metal container, because contact with metal can cause oxidation of the contents.