Storage, Defrosting and Blooming of Steaks

When you’re ready to get your steaks out of the freezer for cooking, it’s important to thaw them correctly. Otherwise, you risk ruining the taste, quality, and texture of your meat which is the last thing anyone wants! To keep your food tasting its best, here are a few tips.

Storage

When storing steaks or other meat in your freezer, try to keep it in its original packaging. If the meat is in loose packaging, it will decrease in quality much faster than it would if it is tightly wrapped.

Meat stored in a freezer can last significantly longer than when put in the refrigerator as long as it's -18C or below. Keeping meat frozen will inactivate bacteria, moulds, and harmful microorganisms from growing. Once opened, you shouldn’t refreeze it.

Thawing Meat

There are three main ways to thaw food: in cold water, in the refrigerator, and in the microwave. Some people thaw food out on the counter, but when doing this you’ll need to monitor the temperature to keep bacteria from potentially growing. 

If you thaw meat in the microwave, be prepared to cook it as soon as it’s done defrosting. This is because the microwave may have started cooking portions of the meat, making it more susceptible to bacteria growth. 

  • Defrosting in the fridge is the most recommended method because there is less loss of the juices that make the meat so tender and delicious.

Blooming

It’s not uncommon for meat in vacuum-sealed packaging to have a darker appearance. The cherry-red colour we usually associate with meat doesn’t appear until after the meat has been exposed to oxygen. This colour change is called ‘blooming’ and takes place anywhere from 5-20 minutes of air exposure to occur.

Waiting until the blooming process has finished will give you higher quality, better-tasting meat.

 At Arkenz ltd, you can purchase meat that will be delivered safely in a refrigerated truck. Our fresh meat is prime for cooking or for freezing, while our frozen meat can go straight into your freezer or be set out for defrosting.

 Some of the delectable and tasty frozen foods and meals you can order online are:

Order delicious frozen foods online today from Arkenz ltd to make meal-time tastier than ever.