Question about Ground Beef

[KanoasDestiny]

I absolutely hate cooking ground hamburger! Does anyone know, if I were to cook a bunch up at one time, is it okay to freeze half of it for later use?

 

[chandab]

It should be just fine. Cook it up and then package it in "serving" size or "meal" size packages so you can just pull one out and use it. Or like you said, freeze half for later.

 

[Carolyn R]

Rule of thumb, cook once and reheat portion once, then pitch it. So, yes, if you cook it, freeze it in small containers and use up what you thaw out and heat, no problem.

 

[Lil Eowyn]

Yep--thats fine--my mom does it. =)

 

[Lil Eowyn]

And I agree with Carolyn R.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Thanks guys! This is just the answer I was hoping for.

 

[Miniv]

Do it all the time.....and with chicken breasts too.

 

[Jill]

Sara, if you are cooking for just two, one of my tricks is to have frozen hamburger (I like the "knock off" Bubba Burgers from Walmart). I thaw 2 patties and use that dinner for H and I sometimes. If it's for hamburgers, then you just cook it frozen, but I have used it in sauces and it works great for us. I like to thaw it first, brown it, drain it, the do "whatever" with it. It's still cooking ground beef, but at least just a little at a time so it's easier

 

[AngC]

Funny I do the opposite. There's just two of us so I portion it up and freeze it; and take out what I need and cook. Doesn't it get rubbery if you freeze it after cooking?

On a sidenote... After the "pink slime" uproar, I started buying chunks of roast and grinding in a meat grinder. I get the cheapest, leanest chunk of roast I can find and trim off any fat or garbage before grinding. If the cut is fairly lean, there isn't much waste and I've found that the price per pound on many "tougher" cuts is less than the price of ground beef.

 

[HGFarm]

Make sure it doesnt get freezer burnt so is in good freezer containers..

 

[REO]

It's good to label things with dates too

 

[KanoasDestiny]

I need to get some containers for the freezer. Do you guys thaw the cooked meat in the fridge or heat it up on the microwave?

 

[chandab]

I need to get some containers for the freezer. Do you guys thaw the cooked meat in the fridge or heat it up on the microwave?

Probably in the fridge for me, but it would depend on what I was going to use the meat for once thawed.

[i rarely thaw raw meat in the mico, it always seems to cook the edges some regardless of the timing and checking. Ick. I know you are talking about thawing the cooked, but had to comment, anyway.]

 

[KanoasDestiny]

On a completely different topic, I was interested in making taquitos. Does anyone know how I can roll a corn tortilla without it cracking on me?

 

[Boss Mare]

On a completely different topic, I was interested in making taquitos. Does anyone know how I can roll a corn tortilla without it cracking on me?

Place some on a microwave safe plate. Cover with a damp paper towel on top. Microwave 30-60 seconds?! (Check them).. This "steams" them and makes them easier to roll. I do this too when I have soft tacos. If you don't want to steam them the ones you buy that are not in the refrigerator section work better for rolling too -- they aren't as 'brittle'.

 

[lioness11]

I always cook ahead. Instead of cooking meals every nite, I cook large pots of stew, vegeteble soup, ground beef, spaghetti, hamburger helper, chili, meat loaf, pork chops, pork stew, everything that you can make in large quantities, I make. then freeze the rest in freezer containers, after burping the air from the container. Then pop in microwave to thaw, and heat and eat. So much easier on nites you just can't take the time to cook a meal. I know a lady that used to brown ground hamburger and store in a large freezer bag. always burp all the air out before sealing to keep as much air out as possible. Then she could dump as much or little of the frozen ground beef,( it was drained of all water and fat so it was still loose, not frozen in clumps) and zip the bag and refreeze, but if it's thawed it should be cooked and eaten right away as Carolyn R said cook once reheat once then pitch, but the huge bag of beef if scrambled and loose when frozen doesn't have to be thawed to be portioned out. You can just pour out what you want and throw it back in the freezer. I just buy hamburger in bulk, pack approx one pound in each bag, flat in freezer bags (zip kind) and freeze laying it flat. I always squeeze the air out of the bag b4 zipping closed.

Also, instead of buying the containers at the stores that sometimes won't seal, or zip lock bags that bust out the bottoms, I save all plastic containers that food comes in such as margarine bowls, they make perfect freezer containers. Cottage cheese tubs, mozzerella zip bags I put a drop of dish washing liquid in them with hot water, zip and shake, rinse and turn upside down over the dish washing liquid bottle to dry, re use those to freeze things in. They are stronger and last longer than any zip lock that you buy in the boxes from the stores. Also, mozzerella (or other cheese) cheese bags are perfect to freeze ground meat in them, and if when empty, they are too greasy to wash, then refreeze the bag, use again for hamburger. As long as the bag has been used for meat, and not left out more than 10 or so minutes, I throw the empty bag in freezer and re use them to freeze the next batch of hamburger. Every thing that comes in a zippered bag, I reuse over and over again, and the margarine/cottage tubs, same way. Helps protect the environment, saves on buying trash bags, the cost of buying the freezer containers that don't always work any way.

 

[HGFarm]

For your tortillas, you can heat a pan with a SLIGHT bit of oil in it- lay one in, turn it right over, fill and roll right away. It will be soft and pliable and not break.