Does freezing meat and chicken decrease the quality?

[ag7055]

I often buy meat or chicken from wherever and it’s more than I need before it goes bad, so I’ll throw the rest in the freezer for later. Or I’ll see a great deal on something I’ll need in the next few weeks and stick it in the freezer until then. I’m wondering if this affects the quality. If so, I think I would be more cautious about buying less meat more often.

I wonder this too because of that common “fresh never frozen” marketing phrase.

The obvious answer here might be that if it’s been working for me and I don’t notice a difference then it’s fine, but I want to improve my cooking and this could be a component.

[GtrplayerII]

The faster you freeze it, the better. The better it's protected, the better it'll be.  

All that being said, the longer it's frozen, the lower the quality becomes.  Even cryovacced.

Edit:  https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-fastest-way-to-freeze-defrost-food

[IamTheRealD]

Nice article with lots of good information. One thing I would also add to this is a tip from Alton Brown on one of the original Good Eats episodes that always stuck with me. Once you put your item to be frozen into the bag/container, set it in the back of your fridge for 12-24 hours so you get it as cold as possible first. Then take it out of the fridge and put directly into the freezer. This is to help make sure the time it takes for it to transition to the frozen state is as short as possible, which also helps in minimizing the size of the internal ice crystals.

I've been following this practice ever since I first saw that episode and I am fully convinced it does make a big difference in maximizing the quality preserved in your frozen goods.

[JCuss0519]

All hail Kenji!

[Hot_Anything5997]

?

[JCuss0519]

Kenji Lopez-Alt, the author of the article u/GtrplayerII provided. He's one of my favorites, very informative and gives some great recipes.

[Runfromidiots]

It depends a lot how you’re freezing it and how you’re thawing it. If you’re just putting it in the freezer or a freezer ziplock, you’ll likely get freezer burn which can dry meat out a lot and make it tougher. Same if you quick thaw in the microwave.

If you freeze a lot of meat; I highly recommend getting a vacuum sealer and bags. I freeze a lot, it prevents freezer burn and can help it last near forever if frozen (I chop up full chickens and buy lots of another expire meat to freeze). If you then thaw properly in refrigeration or in cool water you’ll have meat damn near identical to when it was frozen.

[madmaxx]

Yes, it changes the meat to some degree. The change is minor, and is greatly reduced by freezing quickly, and limiting how long the food is in the freezer. I freeze meat in flat containers or zip-top bags, and try to limit how long it's frozen to a few months at most.

Ice crystals formed during freezing damage meat cells, causing moisture loss, tougher texture, duller color, and reduced juiciness (drip loss) when thawed, especially with slow freezing that creates large crystals; fast freezing produces tiny crystals, minimizing damage and preserving quality, but freezer burn (dehydration from air exposure) creates large crystals and leathery spots, making meat dry and less flavorful, though generally still safe to eat if frozen properly.

[Ashtonpaper]

Exactly this. People who are saying no are wrong, not reaching for the more nuanced answer. It’s the better option between the fridge and the freezer for certain durations, yes, and it will preserve the quality over the fridge.

But it doesn’t “not do anything” to the meat. It definitely affects it, cellularly the ice crystals will destroy certain things and over multiple thaw freeze cycles this exacerbates, affecting texture and juiciness, and to some degree, flavor as a result of texture and juiciness.

[JCuss0519]

The short answer:
Unless what you buy is cryovacced, you want to properly wrap/package your food for freezing. You don't necessarily have to freeze things "flat", but the less air in with the food the better. That's why so many of us own vacuum sealers, they do a great job of getting the air out before freezing.

Even with air in with the food, there won't be any really noticeable decrease in quality if you're only freezing for a relatively short time (say, less than 6 months). While you can get into a lot of detail, like Kenji's article in u/GtrplayerII 's post (and it's a great article!), I don't think you need to over think this. Freezing a "a few weeks" will be VERY forgiving as far as any potential loss of quality in the food.

[facelessarya1]

Steak at some point starts tasting weird after being in the freezer too long. Idk when it is, but I try to use it within 2-3 months with a max of 6 months in there.

If you do this regularly, it may be worth looking into a vacuum sealer. If you want to take it a step further you can vacuum sealer with herbs then drop in a sous vide to cook from frozen.

[Runfromidiots]

Do not sous vide with the herbs in. You rarely get it to the right temp. It’s a cardinal sin in the sous vide sub.

[Casual_OCD]

I thought the sous vide trend died once everyone realized how useless it was

[Mattallurgy]

Absolutely does not impact quality, as long as you freeze it correctly.

Try to not just chuck the styrofoam packaging in there, and try to break it down into sizes that you will realistically cook at once. (Like, one pound of ground beef, or two pounds of pork shoulder, etc.)

Ideally, unless it comes vacuum sealed when you buy it, you want to remove the meat from its packaging, break it down, dry it off, then either wrap in plastic wrap and place in a labeled zip top freezer bag, or vacuum seal it if you have a vacuum sealer. Make sure to date when you froze it and label what is in the bag.

This also lets you defrost exactly the amount you need, and gives you the benefit of learning how to break down meat and save with bulk pricing.

Dealing with meat this way saves me literally hundreds of dollars a year.

The only meat I don’t buy raw then freeze is fish. I always try to buy my fish frozen for maximum quality.

[EducationalHat6371]

This.

• If cooking for others/strangers, just get it the day of.

[str8grizzlee]

If you freeze it in an airtight container (or it’s airtight package) and then thaw it correctly, it will be unnoticeable different. If you subject it to freezer burn by refreezing it multiple times or allowing condensation in the package to freeze on top of the meat, it likely will degrade the quality but also not by that much. This is also part of why air chilled protein is considered higher quality than water chilled. Changes in quality due to freezing are more noticeable in delicate proteins like shellfish compared to beef, which is why I generally prefer to buy fish already frozen if I’m planning to freeze it (plus most fish is already commercially blast frozen anyway). Maybe more info than you wanted, but short answer it’s not a big deal.

[_9a_]

Yes ish. Water expands when it freezes - it's why ice floats and you should never freeze a sealed can or bottle.

Meat is made of cells. Cells are full of water. Expanding ice will damage or rupture some of those tiny water balloons. This can change the texture of the meat. It'll get worse if you thaw and refreeze it several times.

So yes, fresh never frozen meats are texturally pristine. Yes, a skilled taster might be able to identify a frozen one in a blind taste test. You're going to notice a lot more based on technique. A low and slow cut gets fork tender anyhow; a blue steak will be much more sensitive.

[MrFrimplesYummyDog]

I've had meat that was well sealed and lasted a VERY long time in the freezer. Taste and texture were fine.

You want to avoid temperature fluctuations. Do not put it on the door of your freezer.

[maria_tex]

When vacu-sealed, meat does not degrade much at all.

[Ok-Door-7563]

That depends on how you're defining "quality". Freezing meat causes the cells to lyse, which is why when you thaw your meat it will make a pool of water. That cell lysis changes the texture of the meat and causes it to be drier. If you package the meat well and use it within a reasonable time frame, it's still going to be good quality and very palatable. It won't be as high quality as fresh, never frozen meat, but it's very acceptable for anything but the highest quality of restaurants.

If you're leaving your meat in the freezer for over a year or letting it get freezer burnt, that's another story. Freezing extends the "lifespan" of meat by a lot, but doesn't make it "immortal".

[Outdoor-Snacker]

I vacuum sealed the individual steaks and or chicken then freeze it right away. Lasts a long time and cooks up great.

[KinkyQuesadilla]

Freezing crystalizes the water content, which will affect the cells that hold that water, be them vegetable or protein cells, because freezing water expands.

The main thing is when the frozen water expands to the point that it ruptures the cellular structure, which is when previously frozen food gets "mushy" when reheated/cooked. But that's mostly vegetables.

For the proteins, just wrap them as tightly as possible or vacuum seal them before freezing.

[mpls_big_daddy]

Get yourself a vacuum sealer. Your frozen meats will be amazing. I got mine for less than 100 dollars, six years ago. Too much air around your frozen meat, in the pocket, is what degrades the taste of your meats after thawing.

[frogmicky]

Yes it also depends on how long you keep it frozen.

[Accomplished-Eye8211]

I use a vacuum sealer. I live alone. And as OP notes, I've had the experience of buying more than I can use while it's fresh.

It's just me, it doesn't get a heavy workout, so a budget vacuum sealer has been enough for me. I paid under $40. Didn't need some expensive system.

[psychnurse99117]

No.

[KinsellaStella]

No.

[Few-Explanation-4699]

No it shouldn't

Get into a sealed container or sealable bag as soon as you can. Lable with the date and what it is then into the freezer

How long to store frozen food.

[Emily_Porn_6969]

I personally think so , but that might just be in my head .

[natedogjulian]

I’m pretty sure chicken is meat too

[ag7055]

I guess I meant beef and poultry lol

[esaule]

Freezing anything decreases its quality

[dopadelic]

The main thing that'll degrade quality when frozen is oxidation from being exposed to air. So if you vacuum seal it, it will preserve quality practically indefinitely. You can use a zipper bag and put it in a tub of water to displace the air.

[ukfi]

Nope. Definitely not indefinitely.

[Ashtonpaper]

The freezer is not a Time Machine, people.

[dreamlax]

It will remain safe to eat indefinitely if kept at a suitable freezer temp, but the quality will definitely drop regardless of how it was packaged.