16— Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 15, 1973
Care and Handling of Meat in Home Freezers
The ingenious American
housewife has found hundreds of
ways to economise and still
provide her family with protein in
these days of high meat prices.
Some have even gone so far as'
to substitute other protein-rich
food for higher priced meat cuts
or even meat itself.
Substitution, however, is not
always a welcome alternative to
a family that is used to eating
meat regularly, points out the U.
S. Department of Agriculture’s
Animal and Plant Health In
spection Service. Many families
have turned to home freezers,
particularly in recent months, to
be able to buy less expensive
meats and other foods in quan
tity, for use in a wider variety of
dishes over a longer period of
time.
Freezer storage gives the
buyer great flexibility. He or she
can buy in quantity or buy when
the price is down. By buying in
quantity when prices are low, he
can double up on savings.
Freezers can be a boon or a
bust,- depending on how savvy
you are in selecting the right
freezer, and preparing your food
to be frozen properly.
Consumer research
publications are a good guide to
the selection of a freezer. These
magazines are available at most
public libraries. Rememer,
select a freezer that’s large
enough to quick-freeze your food
and keep it cold-in the quantity
you’re likely to use.
HIGH PRESSURE
WASHIHG
OF POULTRY HOUSES AND VEAL PENS
BARRY L. HERR
1744 Pioneer Road, Lancaster, Pa.
Phone 717-464-2044
Formerly operated by Maynard L. Beitzel
WHITE WASHING
with
DAIRY WHITE
Dries White
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Is Compatible With Disinfectant
MAYNARD L. BEITZEL
Witmer, Pa 392*7227
DO YOU NEED
USED PARTS
FOR FARM TRACTORS
and
FARM MACHINERY
CALL HARRY STOHLER AT
WENGER FARM MACHINERY
South Race St.
Myerstown Pa. Ph 717-866-2138
Where you put your freezer will
have something to do with its
ability to keep food cold. Don’t
locate it next to a hot water
heater, the furnace, or where the
sun can beat on it during the day.
Leave enough space so that air
can circulate around it to
dissipate any heat radiated from
the refrigeration coils.
Limit the amount of food you
place in a freezer at any one time
to the quantity that can be frozen
in 24 hours. This usually will
amount to two or three pounds
per cubic feet of freezer capacity.
Freezing slowly, above 0
degrees Farenheit, impairs the
texture and appearance of meats,
and they may lose liquids.
Your supplier may wrap and
quick-freeze your meat for you.
Although the price is certain to be
more, this will save you the effort
of preparing and wrapping the
food for freezing, and you won’t
have to risk over-loading your
freezer during the process.
If your freezer does not have an
interior thermometer it’s a good
idea to buy one. They are inex
pensive, and will give you a quick
way to check the temperature.
You can therefore avoid running
your freezer at abnormally low
temperatures, using expensive
and scarce energy, or keeping it
set too high.
Foods selected for freezing
should be of good quality and
wholesome. If you are really
trying to economize, you may
want to buy less than the highest
or fanciest quality. Rememner,
though, no method of storing will
improve the quality of meats and
poultry. Freezer storage only
increases shelf life--not the
quality of the product.
Inspect meats and poultry for
freezing with care. All meats sold
state inspected for whole
someness. However, meat can
become damaged in transit or
through bad handling.
U. S. Department of
Agriculture grades for beef, veal
and lamb are helpful tools to
quality. The grading of meat by
USDA is purely voluntary at the
discretion of the packer.
If you are buying frozen meat
for your freezer, make sure it is
hard frozen. Don’t take soft
packages-they may already be
deteriorating.
Select your meats just before
leaving the store and get them
home quickly. Prepare them for
the freezer as soon_as possible.
Common-sense hygienic
practices are good guides to
sanitary food preparation. Wear
clean clothes ... wash hands
with soap and water thoroughly
... wash all knives and other
utensils. When finished cutting up
one package of meat, wash the
knives, forks and your cutting
surface before starting on
another package. This will
prevent your cross
contaminating your meat or
poultry.
All meat should be wrapped in
moisture and vapor proof
packaging materials. Aluminum
foil is excellent for wrapping
irregularly-shaped packages.
The objective is to exclude as
much air as possible. Air causes
oxidation, imparing the ap
pearance, flavor and texture of
meats. i
Frozen meats can be stored
indefnitely, if held at 0 degrees or
lower temperatures. Eating
quality and nutrituve value do
change, but very slowly at 0
degrees or below. Rate of change
increases rapidly as the tem
perature rises. The loss of quality
in storage is directly related to
the temperature and time food is
held above zero.
Your Heart Association urges
you to call your doctor im
mediately if you experience any
of the symptoms of heart attack.
Delay can cost you your life.
Meats can be cooked with or
without thawing. Starting with a
frozen piece of meat does not
materially affect its taste or
texture. But, insert a meat
thermometer as soon as the meat
is softened enough, so you can
check on the internal tem
peratures to know when it’s
properly cooked.
When thawing meats for
cooking, thaw in the refrigerator
at below 40 degrees to prevent
bacterial contamination.
Remember, all meats contain
some bacteria, and become
further contaminated during
handling. Freezing and cooking
meat at the proper temperatures
prevents bacterial growth.
If thawing in the refrigerator is
~NE W*J AMESW A Y 1
Frees You
ROS./
■ Phone 393-3906 I
1305 Mariheim Pike Lancaster. Pa. 17601jj
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too slow, place the meat in a
tightly wrapped water-proof
package in cold water or under
running cold water.
Follow these household hints
and let your freezer help you save
money on frozen meats and
poultry.
For specific information on the
lengths of time various meat and
poultry items can be stored in
refrigerators and freezers for
maintenance of quality, write for
a free copy of “Quick Tips” on
meat and poultry storage. Ad
dress your request to: In
formation Div., Agricultural
Marketing Service, U. S. Dept, of
Agruculture, Room 1653, 26
Federal Plaza, New York, NY
10007
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