How much and how can cutlets be stored in the refrigerator and signs of spoilage
Chops are versatile products that are convenient for snacking at work, cooking for dinner or for a festive table. You can buy semi-finished products in any store, but many housewives prepare chopped cutlets themselves. The quality and taste of the dish, and sometimes the health of the household, depend on proper preservation. Consider how many different types of cutlets are stored in the refrigerator, how to store the product for a long time.
Dependence of shelf life on minced meat
Everyone loves cutlets - for their softness, juiciness, tenderness. Ground meat is made up of different types of meat, poultry, fish, vegetables. Cutlets are fried quickly, you can cook food in half an hour. The remaining uncooked chops will need to be sent for storage. Minced cutlet meat may have a different composition, but sanitary standards prescribe storing any type of product in the refrigerator for no more than 24 hours. Temperature standards:
- from different types of meat - 2-4 °;
- vegetable - 2-6 °;
- fish - from -2 ° to +2 °.
The shelf life of homemade cutlets can be up to 2 days if the refrigerator is not opened every 5 minutes. At the same time, the product is carefully wrapped in a film to close it from air. Place the patties on the coldest shelf near the freezer, away from other foods.
How many frozen cutlets are stored
Freezers greatly extend the shelf life of chops. You should not exceed the recommended conditions - the product loses its taste and juiciness, to improve the quality you will need to use sauces.
How much can you keep in the freezer:
| Type of minced meat | Temperature regime | The timing |
| Me at | -18 ° | Up to 3 months |
| Fish | -18 ° | Up to 3 months |
| Vegetable and ready-to-wear | Not recommended |
After thawing, the product must be cooked immediately, it is not recommended to put it back in the freezer.
How to store it properly
During storage, it is important to ensure a constant temperature, carefully close the bag or box so that the minced meat does not absorb foreign odors and microorganisms do not get inside. If the patties are stored in the freezer, do not thaw or chill them.
Semi-finished products
Busy working people's best friends are ready-to-eat meals from the supermarket. When buying, it is important to carefully study the label (not only the day, but also the time of production) - chilled semi-finished products have a very short shelf life. If it is almost done, the cutlets should be fried immediately, if not possible - send to the freezer.
When buying a frozen product, as well as the date of manufacture, they check the integrity of the packaging, the presence of ice and its appearance. If the cutlets are deformed, frozen in a common piece, it means that they have thawed, you should not buy them.
Important: The shelf life of semi-finished products in stores is determined by the manufacturer and is indicated on the label.
Semi-finished products are stored on the coldest shelf, the shelf life before frying depends on the instructions on the label. You should not add an additional 24 hours of permitted refrigerator storage yourself. You should not neglect this rule - pathogens that can lead to poisoning quickly develop in minced meat.Semi-finished products are stored in the refrigerator in a sealed package, foil or a container with a tight-fitting lid.
Important: when buying semi-finished products, the integrity of the packaging is monitored, the tearing of the film leads to a sharp reduction in the shelf life.
The shelf life in the freezer should not exceed that recommended by the manufacturer (no more than 3 months). It is important that the packaging is intact, no defrosting occurs.
Freeze homemade products
When preparing chopped cutlets at home, the hostess must follow all the conditions. Containers with cutlets are provided with stickers indicating the cooking time so that the product does not lie longer than the required period.
Cooked cutlets are laid out on flat boards, covered with foil, put in the freezer, setting the lowest temperature. Shock freezing allows you to preserve taste and health as much as possible.After complete freezing, the product is placed in bags or containers and tightly closed. The temperature is fixed at -18° and stored for no more than 3 months.
Best of all, cutlets are stored, in which there are few additional ingredients (onions, garlic, potatoes, etc.). Vegetable components shorten the shelf life, the taste of the product deteriorates when exposed to low temperatures. Many housewives recommend storing clean minced meat (fish) in the freezer, and cooking the cutlet after defrosting, before frying.
Cooked meal
Rules for storing the finished dish:
- Do not store fried chops at room temperature for more than 6 hours. This time is shortened at high ambient temperatures and slightly increased at low temperatures.
- In the refrigerator at 4-6 °, the finished dish can be stored without deterioration for 24-36 hours.
- The product is placed in a container with a lid, placed closer to the freezer, not opened or moved.
- The finished product is stored in the freezer for a maximum of 2 months.
When frozen, ready-made cutlets lose their taste, aroma and juiciness. Better to keep semi-finished products or minced meat. The cooking time after defrosting is comparable to frying raw food, and the taste is significantly worse.
After heat treatment
After the cutlets are fried, they are left to cool well, and the excess fat is drained. You can blot them with a paper towel. Then the product is laid out on a board in a single layer and frozen at low temperature. Then they are placed in containers or bags, they write down the date of the bookmark in the freezer.
How to cook after defrosting:
- The product is prepared without breading with sauce (tomato, sour cream).Spread in a pan, pour over the sauce and boil for 5-7 minutes. During this time, the cutlets will become juicy.
- If the fried patties are breaded, they are heated under a lid in a pan for 7-10 minutes.
- In the microwave - 3-5 minutes.
The longer the storage time, the longer the reheat processing time.
How to defrost
The product taken out of the freezer is placed in the refrigerator to be thawed. It is not necessary to completely thaw semi-finished products or a ready-made dish - you can wait until only the top layer softens for breading.
Shelf life of thawed chops:
- meat - up to a day;
- fish - 12 hours;
- poultry - 6 p.m.
Thawed cutlets, meatballs quickly become soft, lose their shape, become slippery and unsightly.
Signs of product deterioration
Spoiled cutlets will not please the taste and can lead to poisoning. In minced meat, pathogens of dangerous infections can multiply. It is important to remember that the product deteriorates not only when stored too long, but also when the conditions are not respected. If the refrigerator is constantly open, ready-made cutlets or semi-finished products are transferred to the room, the damage will occur earlier than the specified time.
How to tell if chops have gone bad:
- unnatural putrid odor;
- change in color (darkening, greenery) and shape;
- unpleasant to the touch, slippery consistency.
If there are no visible signs, but the chops have been sitting longer than expected, you shouldn't take any chances.This is especially true for ready-made cutlets (fried). Semi-finished products lying around in the freezer, during prolonged storage, lose moisture, become dry and hard. They cannot be considered spoiled, but there is no more taste in them.
It is not difficult to master the technology of freezing and preserving cutlets. The fridge and freezer help preserve the taste and quality of everyone's favorite foods. Hardworking housewives prepare and freeze cutlets for future use. Busy people can enjoy ready meals from the supermarket. Cutlets fried quickly, making cooking enjoyable and easy.