Do As I Say, Not As I Do - Part 2
Sep. 17th, 2007 06:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grizzlyzoneWhen I get ready to make dinner, I generally open the freezer, take out a package of meat, and build the rest of my menu plan from there.
That is the wrong way to go about things.
Meat from a freezer is frozen. You can't cut it. You can't marinate it. The only thing you can do with it is defrost it, and if you use the "micro-defrost" setting on the microwave, you are going to cook the edges of the meat, while leaving the insides icy.
You can forget about portion control at that point. It doesn't matter if a serving of meat should fit on the palm of your hand or the size of a deck of cards. At that point, you're going to cook the meat and eat it.
There is a way around it.
When you come home from the grocery, re-package the meat into smaller, more appropriate sizes, and freeze it.
Here's an example. The other night, I decided to make pasta with meat sauce. I micro-thawed a full pound of 93% lean ground beef, and added 16 ounces of the canned spaghetti sauce. I had made enough for four people, and since I was cooking for two, I ended up throwing half of it away.
If I had been smart, I would have divided that pound of ground beef into two half-pound blocks, then placed each block in a freezer bag and frozen them individually.
Rather than buying the 26 ounce can of Hunt's or Del Monte spaghetti sauce, I would have bought four eight-ounce cans of seasoned tomato sauce.
When I went to take pasta and meat sauce, I would have had a more appropriate size to deal with.
Another example. I saw some nice boneless sirloin steaks at the store. If they had them in the one pound size or pound-and-a-half aize , I could have cut them into four or six four-ounce steaks. That way, I could place two of them in a freezer bag and come up with two or three bags, each containing two perfectly proportioned steaks.
Inexpensive steaks really need marinating in order to become tender. Cut them into four-ounce portions, put two of them in a freezer bag, but before you seal the bag, add your favorite marinade. I like mojo criollo, but there are others.
The meat marinates just before it freezes. When you thaw it later, the meat is perfectly marinated.
Cube steaks can be a real problem. They tend to freeze together into a solid block. When you micro-thaw them, the outside edges cook, while the inside edges stay frozen together. As the meat has been "cubed", there is no easy way to get the cube steaks apart without ripping them to shreds.
Separate the cube steaks before they freeze, then bread them in your favorite breading. "Shake 'n Bake", Italian Bread crumbs, chicken breader all work well. Then, place the breaded cube steak into your freezer bag, with a small square of waxed paper to keep them separate.
It's easier to manage portion control, if you don't have the temptation of hot, juicy meat, ready to go to waste if you don't eat it.
That is the wrong way to go about things.
Meat from a freezer is frozen. You can't cut it. You can't marinate it. The only thing you can do with it is defrost it, and if you use the "micro-defrost" setting on the microwave, you are going to cook the edges of the meat, while leaving the insides icy.
You can forget about portion control at that point. It doesn't matter if a serving of meat should fit on the palm of your hand or the size of a deck of cards. At that point, you're going to cook the meat and eat it.
There is a way around it.
When you come home from the grocery, re-package the meat into smaller, more appropriate sizes, and freeze it.
Here's an example. The other night, I decided to make pasta with meat sauce. I micro-thawed a full pound of 93% lean ground beef, and added 16 ounces of the canned spaghetti sauce. I had made enough for four people, and since I was cooking for two, I ended up throwing half of it away.
If I had been smart, I would have divided that pound of ground beef into two half-pound blocks, then placed each block in a freezer bag and frozen them individually.
Rather than buying the 26 ounce can of Hunt's or Del Monte spaghetti sauce, I would have bought four eight-ounce cans of seasoned tomato sauce.
When I went to take pasta and meat sauce, I would have had a more appropriate size to deal with.
Another example. I saw some nice boneless sirloin steaks at the store. If they had them in the one pound size or pound-and-a-half aize , I could have cut them into four or six four-ounce steaks. That way, I could place two of them in a freezer bag and come up with two or three bags, each containing two perfectly proportioned steaks.
Inexpensive steaks really need marinating in order to become tender. Cut them into four-ounce portions, put two of them in a freezer bag, but before you seal the bag, add your favorite marinade. I like mojo criollo, but there are others.
The meat marinates just before it freezes. When you thaw it later, the meat is perfectly marinated.
Cube steaks can be a real problem. They tend to freeze together into a solid block. When you micro-thaw them, the outside edges cook, while the inside edges stay frozen together. As the meat has been "cubed", there is no easy way to get the cube steaks apart without ripping them to shreds.
Separate the cube steaks before they freeze, then bread them in your favorite breading. "Shake 'n Bake", Italian Bread crumbs, chicken breader all work well. Then, place the breaded cube steak into your freezer bag, with a small square of waxed paper to keep them separate.
It's easier to manage portion control, if you don't have the temptation of hot, juicy meat, ready to go to waste if you don't eat it.