Tips for freezing mince meat
Minced meat is easy to cook, budget-friendly and super versatile. It's a great thing to have in the freezer, and raw mince freezes very well whether it's beef, lamb, chicken or pork and there are so many creative recipes to make with mince too!
How to freeze raw minced meat
It's best to freeze mince right after purchasing it for the best results. You can freeze minced meat in its supermarket packaging, but if you want it to defrost faster later, follow these steps:
- Remove it from the store packaging and place it in a freezer bag.
- Squeeze out excess air and flatten the mince into a thinner layer.
- Label and date the package before placing in the freezer.
How long can you freeze minced meat for?
Mince will stay at top quality for 2-3 months, after this time it will still be safe to eat but may lose quality.
How to defrost mince
There are a few ways to defrost mince depending on how much time you have:
- In the fridge: Keep the mince in it's packaging and place into another container to catch any liquid or condensation. Allow to defrost in the fridge, this may take up to 2 days depending on how much mince you're defrosting.
- With water: If your packaging is water-tight, you can place it in room temperature water, changing the water every 30 minutes until defrosted. This won't be as effective if your mince is frozen in supermarket trays because of the air pockets.
- In the microwave: This is the quickest way to defrost your mince meat. Take mince out of the packaging, place in a microwave safe bowl and use the defrost setting on your microwave.
Get more mince recipe ideas for dinner here.
Recipes with minced meat
GET THE RECIPE: Slow Cooker Korma Porcupine Meatballs by Passage to India
You can use frozen and defrosted minced meat to make these meatballs, and once they're cooked you can freeze them once more without any problems!
GET THE RECIPE: Savoury Mince Stuffed Mushrooms by Rosella
Savoury mince is fantastic for freezing. As well as using it to stuff mushrooms, you can serve it on rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.
GET THE RECIPE: Family Nachos Tray Bake by Perfect Italiano
When you need a quick meal, you can defrost a packet of mince and turn it into a tray of nachos in no time.
