Contents:
- Medical Video: Ask the Test Kitchen: How Long Will Meat Last in the Fridge?
- First check the condition of your refrigerator before storing meat for a long time
- How long can you keep meat in the fridge and freezer?
- 1. Red meat
- 2. Poultry meat
- 3. Seafood
- 4. Ground meat
- 5. Processed meat
- The following should also be considered so that the condition of the meat remains fresh as long as it is stored
- Don't freeze the thawed meat again
Medical Video: Ask the Test Kitchen: How Long Will Meat Last in the Fridge?
If you don't want to be processed immediately after being bought, fresh meat and processed meat products such as sausages and corned beef must be stored in the refrigerator to last. However, is there a long time limit for storing meat in the refrigerator?
First check the condition of your refrigerator before storing meat for a long time
To keep the condition of the meat fresh until the time is processed, you must keep it in the refrigerator or even freeze it in freezer. However, you need to check the feasibility of your refrigerator first.
How to know whether your refrigerator is still functioning well is simple. Try to pay attention to the food you keep on freezer, for example ice cream. If the ice cream still tends to be soft and runny and does not harden after being frozen for a long time, the temperature is marked freezer You are not cold enough to store food for a long time.
This is important because fresh food should last longer than it should when frozen. If the condition of your refrigerator is not feasible, the food will break faster because the temperature of the refrigerator that is less cold allows bacteria and fungi to contaminate the food.
How long can you keep meat in the fridge and freezer?
Depending on the type of meat, the storage time in the refrigerator or freezer can vary. The following general rules:
1. Red meat
Raw red meat (beef, mutton, lamb, pork, etc.) can be stored in the refrigerator for three to four days. If stored in the freezer, raw red meat can last up to 4-12 months depending on the type of meat.
After being removed from the refrigerator, don't forget to check the condition of the raw meat. If afterwards the meat turns brown and looks not fresh again, discard and do not continue to be processed.
Meanwhile, ripe red meat can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days while if it is placed in the freezer it can last up to 2-6 months.
2. Poultry meat
Unlike red meat, raw poultry can only last one or two days in the refrigerator. But if stored inside freezer, chopped poultry meat can last up to nine months. Whole poultry meat can last about a year if it is frozen.
Well, for poultry that has been cooked, the rules for storing time are not much different from red meat. The refrigerator can store processed meat from poultry for three to four days, and two to six months if stored in the freezer.
3. Seafood
Fish and fresh seafood products can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before processing. If you want to keep it longer, move it to the freezer. Freezing fresh seafood makes it durable for the next six months.
Even so, the FDA, the drug and food regulatory agency in America that is equivalent to BPOM Indonesia, recommends that you keep fish following the fat content in the fish.
Fish with little fat, such as cod, flounder, tuna and tilapia, can be stored at freezer up to six months. While anchovy, mackerel, salmon, and sardines, which are classified as fatty fish, can only be for two to three months to maintain their quality.
4. Ground meat
Milled meat - whether from beef, lamb or chicken - can only last in the refrigerator for one to two days. If stored in the freezer, ground meat can last up to 3-4 months.
5. Processed meat
Processed meat products such as sausages, corned beef, bacon, ham, smoked meat, salami, etc. can survive in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks with a perfectly sealed package. If it has been opened before, processed meat can only be stored in the refrigerator for about 5-7 days. If put in the freezer, the shelf life of processed meat is one to two months.
Storing processed meat is much easier than fresh meat because the packaging has already stated the expiration date. For your convenience, stick to the date label you opened the package so you know when to take it out of the refrigerator and quickly process it before it rot.
The following should also be considered so that the condition of the meat remains fresh as long as it is stored
In addition to considering how long it takes to store meat, some other things that are no less important for you to consider before processing meat are:
- We recommend that you cut the meat while still fresh before storing it.
- Store raw meat in a clean and tightly closed container.
- When buying packaged meat, follow the storage instructions printed on the packaging.
- Check the expiration date before processing packaged meat. Immediately discard if it's stale or rotten.
- Separate cooked meat and raw meat when stored in the refrigerator.
- Label the date and name of the meat to find out when the meat starts entering the refrigerator, while at the same time making it easy to distinguish from other meats.
Don't freeze the thawed meat again
After removing the meat that is stored or frozen in the refrigerator, immediately process it all so that no leftovers have to be frozen again. Freezing the melted raw meat can reduce the quality of the meat and make it rotten quickly.
So before putting it in the refrigerator, share the portions first so that when it comes to cooking, you just need to remove and melt it as needed.
