One sunny Sunday morning, you planned to get some groceries later that day. As you go through your list of what you must buy for the week, you check the cupboards, the fridge, pantry and the freezer. You’re left with a few snacks, canned goods and frozen ground beef.
You look at the cellophane that contains the frozen ground beef and you wonder how you can cook it. Hopefully being able to do so without breaking the bank.
In this article, we are going to discuss firstly on whether that frozen ground beef you have there is safe for consumption. If it is, we are going to proceed with easy ground beef recipes you can cook it with only a few ingredients.
Can Ground Beef Stay In The Fridge And For How Long? You Might Be Surprised!
As tempting it might be to roast that seemingly innocent frozen ground beef you have there that is just waiting to be thawed out. You must first check on whether the frozen ground beef in question is still safe to eat.
Despite being a flexible and nearly applicable to all sorts of simple to cook dishes. From hamburgers to tacos, to even more delicious dishes such as Korean Ground Beef Bowl. Ground beef does not boast a long shelf life.
In fact, the shelf life of frozen ground beef is only one to two days!
Steps To Prolong Shelf Life
But there are some steps that you can take to prolong the shelf life of frozen ground beef. If you are planning to save it for an occasion.
Get Quality Beef
One thing that you must first consider is the quality of the beef you are purchasing. Buying from a supermarket that only serves fresh meat or from a local grocer that does the same. You can guarantee that you will be able to enjoy your ground beef weeks or even months from when you intend to cook it.
Storing Methods
Next to the quality of the ground beef is the manner at which you are planning to store it. For the best results, keep the container at which your frozen ground beef was wrapped in. Leave it unopened if you do not have any plans yet of cooking it any time soon.
When putting it in the freezer, it is highly recommended that you place it at the back of the fridge, preferably in the corner bottom part where it is the coldest. If your fridge is working properly, guaranteeing a constant supply of sub-zero temperatures twenty-found hours a day and seven days a week, you will be able to leave your frozen ground beef fresh and safe for consumptions for about three to four months!
But if in the unfortunate instance that you have removed the ground beef from its original packaging, you must transfer it to a container that is safe for freezers. This is advised as these containers prevent your frozen ground beef from getting freezer burns.
In any case, you must label the container of your frozen ground beef with the date at which you purchased it, just to have an indication as well as an estimation as to when it is still safe for you to be able to eat your frozen ground beef.
How To Check If Frozen Ground Beef Is Spoiled?
And lastly, as a mental note, it is best to keep in mind how to determine whether your frozen ground beef may have already spoiled and has gone bad. With simply utilizing your senses of touch, scent, and sight, you will already be able to determine it.
For sight, it will look dull, greyish, or brownish. For smell, it will most definitely have a distinctly rotten and foul odour, with a tinge of sourness to boot. As for the touch, spoilt frozen ground beef is going to feel slimy.
Well, that’s enough of that! Just keep these guides to ensure that your frozen ground beef can be stored safely and can be enjoyed at the very moment you will need to cook it.
How do you defrost a meat fast? Read about it here.
In the next subtopic, we are going to discuss how to cook your ground beef.
Easy Ground Beef Recipes With Few Ingredients
You know what ground beef is good for? You guessed it: Nachos!
Well, if you are interested in prepping some awesome nachos the simple and fast way, look no further than this subtopic!
Prepare the following ingredients:
- Canola oil – one teaspoon (If you wish to use a different kind of oil like olive oil, feel free to do so)
- Ground beef – freshly-bought or thawed-out, one pound
- Velveeta Cheese – processed is fine, chopped into cubes
- Tomatoes – diced, one piece. Should be around ten ounces or so
- Green chiles (Rotel) – diced, one piece
- Tortilla chips – one bag of around eleven ounces should do
- Sour cream – half a cup
- Cilantro – three tablespoons, freshly chopped
- Jalapeño chiles – two tablespoons, sliced
- Lime – cut into wedges
- Plum tomatoes – one cup, chopped
With all the ingredients prepared, now it is time to whip up some nachos!
Step 1: Place a pan or skillet over medium to high fire and heat oil. Toss in the beef and cook it, letting it brown and cook through which should take around ten minutes or so
Step 2: Fuse the tomatoes and cheese in a bowl that’s safe for microwaves. Place it in the oven on high for about three minutes until it melts, ensuring to stir the mix every minute. Afterwards, place the beef in the mix and stir
Step 3: It’s time to make the nachos. Sort half of the tortillas on a baking sheet with foil.
With the cheese, spread them evenly over the tortillas. For the other half of the tortillas, layer them above the cheese-laden tortillas and spread whatever remaining cheese is left on top as well.
Get the sour cream and guacamole and smear them evenly over. Scatter the jalapeños, cilantro, and tomatoes, too. And lastly, place the lime wedges to garnish.
In closing, frozen ground beef if stored and frozen properly can be good for consumption for up to four months! And once you do decide to thaw it out, you can whip yourself up some nachos with the recipe above as your guide!
Is it possible to cook frozen meat? Read my post about it.
