cooking and freezing ground beef/food storage bags

[jenneonthespot]

Someone recently recommended that busy moms cook ground beef ahead of time, and freeze it in 1lb. portions. This means you can just pull it out and add it to your recipes as needed.
What do you mamas think of this idea?

My first thoughts are these:

• Won't it dry out? If so, is it ok to undercook it just a tiny bit, then when thawed, bring it back up to temp./fully cooked? (food safety concern?)
• I am so skeptical of freezing in plastic bags. They just have that funny odor. Any other suggestions?

THX!

[AshersMommy]

I'm not sure about freezing partially cooked meat, and then recooking. But I have heard of people using freezer paper to wrap and store their meats. It's similiar to butcher paper.

[Hitchkids]

I would cook it all the way. Usually when I do this I cook about 6 lbs or so (whatever comes in the big famiy packs) with a few onions and then bag them up. For us 1 lb is not enough for one meal most of the time so I put between 1.5 to 2 lbs in a bag. The meat has never dried out for me. Just make sure to invest in the freezer quality bags or freezer paper or double bag. Or you coudl invest in several tupperware style containers and use those if you intend to do this on a regular basis. It does make things easier when we're in a rush.

[kht2006]

I do this with no problems at all. I freeze in plasticware containers. Cook with onions, salt, peper, a little seasoning salt.
Then when I thaw it for use I add other seasonings to match what I am making. Saves time and mess.

[sararenda]

I do this all the time and have been doing it for the last 3 years. I cook it all the way then divide it into 1 or 2 pound packages and seal them in FOOD SAVER BAGS. Even months later it comes out of the freezer as fresh as the day you cooked it. This is a great idea when you are in your first couple months of pregnancy and totally can't handle the smell of ground beef cooking.

[southernmama]

I have done it both ways. I have frozen already cooked meat and uncooked meat. Either way has been fine for me. I did a lot of cooking for when the baby came and I wrapped it all in press-n-seal, freezer paper (reynolds has it and it's in the same place with aluminum foil) and also in aluminum foil, in that order. That helped keep all the smells in. I also put a baking soda thing in my deep freezer. I haven't had any problem with anything being dry.

[rae_g]

I do this a lot. I tend to use my ground beef in something saucy anyway (spaghetti, enchiladas, etc), so even if it was dry coming out of the freezer, it would pick up the moisture from the sauce. I've never noticed any dryness or bad taste.

[Psychomom]

I also do this with no problems.

[stacim]

I do this all the time as well. You can leave a little of the grease in to help combat dryness, but I haven't really noticed a problem (usually using in something saucy). Really great on those days when I need to throw something together and don't have a lot of time.

I typically freeze in plastic storage bags, but want to move away from that. Another alternative to buying a bunch of storage containers is to line the ones you have with foil, put the meat in, freeze and then remove the foil-wrapped meat from the container. Then you still have the container available for use. This works great for meals also. When it comes time to cook, just unwrap, put the frozen food in the dish that you originally used to freeze it in, and either thaw or cook according to the recipe instructions. Best to use square or rectangular containers to maximize your freezer space.