wff_ng_7 wrote:
> "mm" > wrote in message:
>> I bought electric meat grinder less than a year ago. It's Back to
>> Basic model 4500. So far I have used it only three times + the first
>> time when it didn't word due to setup error. So you can see that I am
>> a small time user. I tried finding out info on alterantive to buying
>> a meat grinder.
>>
>> The purpose of buying it was to get lean ground chicken. I find that
>> using it to make kleab ground chicken is time-consuming because eat
>> gets stuck on all pieces that would get dry if I didn't wash it
>> immediately. Then I need to do towel dry so that the parts won't get
>> oxidized. Parts have oxidized when I failed to dry with towels and I
>> got white stuff into the meat and so I got replacement.
>>
>> I will need to sell it or put it away since I just can't afford to
>> spend that much time cleaning up.
>>
>> So what is my alternative to makign grind chicken meat, in small
>> amount (cooking for just one person; I don't like to eat the same
>> thing again and again in a row and so I make multiple dishes at a
>> time). There will be mainly 2 dishes with this meat: Thai style stir
>> fry with basil and making pot stickers.
>
> I run into the same problem of time consuming cleanup, and I don't think
> there is a solution. What I do is grind larger quantities of meat and
> then freeze it. I haven't ground chicken, but I have done beef and pork.
> With the beef I might put some of the ground meat into a meal like
> stuffed cabbage or peppers, and take the rest and make it into hamburger
> patties and freeze them. When I grind pork, I'm making sausage patties,
> the bulk of which get frozen for future use. The cleanup isn't such a
> big deal when grinding larger quantities.
>
> I suppose you could grind large quantities of chicken, then freeze the
> ground meat into serving size portions for future use.
>

Biggest problem with freezing the meat is that ground meat doesnt' keep
frozen as well as larger pieces of meat. Ground meat has a very short
'shelf life'. And small pieces like ground patties keep the shortest.

Melondy

On Feb 16, 2:02 pm, Melondy > wrote:
> wff_ng_7 wrote:
> > "mm" > wrote in message:
> >> I bought electric meat grinder less than a year ago. It's Back to
> >> Basic model 4500. So far I have used it only three times + the first
> >> time when it didn't word due to setup error. So you can see that I am
> >> a small time user. I tried finding out info on alterantive to buying
> >> a meat grinder.
>
> >> The purpose of buying it was to get lean ground chicken. I find that
> >> using it to make kleab ground chicken is time-consuming because eat
> >> gets stuck on all pieces that would get dry if I didn't wash it
> >> immediately. Then I need to do towel dry so that the parts won't get
> >> oxidized. Parts have oxidized when I failed to dry with towels and I
> >> got white stuff into the meat and so I got replacement.
>
> >> I will need to sell it or put it away since I just can't afford to
> >> spend that much time cleaning up.
>
> >> So what is my alternative to makign grind chicken meat, in small
> >> amount (cooking for just one person; I don't like to eat the same
> >> thing again and again in a row and so I make multiple dishes at a
> >> time). There will be mainly 2 dishes with this meat: Thai style stir
> >> fry with basil and making pot stickers.
>
> > I run into the same problem of time consuming cleanup, and I don't think
> > there is a solution. What I do is grind larger quantities of meat and
> > then freeze it. I haven't ground chicken, but I have done beef and pork.
> > With the beef I might put some of the ground meat into a meal like
> > stuffed cabbage or peppers, and take the rest and make it into hamburger
> > patties and freeze them. When I grind pork, I'm making sausage patties,
> > the bulk of which get frozen for future use. The cleanup isn't such a
> > big deal when grinding larger quantities.
>
> > I suppose you could grind large quantities of chicken, then freeze the
> > ground meat into serving size portions for future use.
>
> Biggest problem with freezing the meat is that ground meat doesnt' keep
> frozen as well as larger pieces of meat. Ground meat has a very short
> 'shelf life'. And small pieces like ground patties keep the shortest.

Thanks for this info.
>
> Melondy- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

On 2/16/07 5:02 PM, in article
, "Melondy"
> wrote:
> Biggest problem with freezing the meat is that ground meat doesnt' keep
> frozen as well as larger pieces of meat. Ground meat has a very short
> 'shelf life'. And small pieces like ground patties keep the shortest.
>
> Melondy

Would you mind sharing with us your reason for saying this? If you grind
your meat right when you purchase it, and then freeze it, it'll keep the
same as unground meat. Just make sure you wrap it securely to guard against
freezer burn.
--
de N2MPU Jack
Modeling the NYC/NYNH&H in HO and CP Rail/D&H in N
Proud NRA Life Member

Jack wrote:
> On 2/16/07 5:02 PM, in article
> , "Melondy"
> > wrote:
>> Biggest problem with freezing the meat is that ground meat doesnt' keep
>> frozen as well as larger pieces of meat. Ground meat has a very short
>> 'shelf life'. And small pieces like ground patties keep the shortest.
>>
>> Melondy
>
> Would you mind sharing with us your reason for saying this? If you grind
> your meat right when you purchase it, and then freeze it, it'll keep the
> same as unground meat. Just make sure you wrap it securely to guard against
> freezer burn.

I learned from a food preservation course that when you grind up meat
you add air and spread any bacteria throughout the meat. That is why the
refrigerated shelf life of ground meats is shorter than whole cuts
and even when frozen is shorter.

Frozen ground meat- 3-4 months
Frozen stew meat- 3-4 months
Frozen chops or thin steaks- 4-6 months
Frozen whole large portions meat- 6-12 months.
Fresh ground meat- 1-3 days
Fresh large cuts- 3-5 days
Fresh stew meat- 1-3 days

Sorry I can't sight studies and research though I've seen these
timetables in many places and they have been pretty accurate for me,
even using a FoodSaver and great butcher wrapping. For the food to be in
it's best condition I stick to the above estimated times.

Melondy

"Melondy" > wrote:
> I learned from a food preservation course that when you grind up meat you
> add air and spread any bacteria throughout the meat. That is why the
> refrigerated shelf life of ground meats is shorter than whole cuts and
> even when frozen is shorter.
>
> Frozen ground meat- 3-4 months
> Frozen stew meat- 3-4 months
> Frozen chops or thin steaks- 4-6 months
> Frozen whole large portions meat- 6-12 months.
> Fresh ground meat- 1-3 days
> Fresh large cuts- 3-5 days
> Fresh stew meat- 1-3 days
>
> Sorry I can't sight studies and research though I've seen these timetables
> in many places and they have been pretty accurate for me, even using a
> FoodSaver and great butcher wrapping. For the food to be in it's best
> condition I stick to the above estimated times.

Those numbers are about what I thought. But 3-4 months is a pretty long
time, especially compared to the refrigerated shelf life. That's why I grind
"relatively" large quantities ( 3 or so pounds) and freeze a lot of it. The
amount of time required to clean the grinder is the same no matter how much
you grind, and I'd rather "amortize" the time spent over a larger amount of
meat. I have no problem using up the ground meat within 3-4 months, but I
could never do it over 1-3 days.

On Mon, 19 Feb 2007 19:32:14 GMT, Jack >
wrote:
>If you grind
>your meat right when you purchase it, and then freeze it, it'll keep the
>same as unground meat. Just make sure you wrap it securely to guard against
>freezer burn.

The ground met has much more surface area, which is why it does not
keep as well.

-- Larry