Steak is something that many of us have to be in the mood for. This means sometimes we can be left with a couple of steaks that we don’t fancy eating right away.
Thankfully there is a solution that allows you to still maintain the quality and freshness of the steak, without having to eat it immediately.
This is where the freezer comes in. If you’re a regular around here then you’ll know that we’re big on freezing steaks.
However, when it comes to freezing steak, there is absolutely a right and a wrong way to do it.
Let’s take a look…
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When & Why To Freeze Steak
Picture this, you’re out shopping in the supermarket and come across a stunning deal on six filet steaks. It’s so stunning that you simply can’t resist.
You purchase the six steaks and picture yourself in the kitchen cooking up these bad boys for a banquet of tender, juicy and delicious filet mignon.
But go home and reality sinks in, you realise there is no chance you’re going to eat all six steaks within the next couple of days.
So what do you do?
Freeze em’ up! The freezer is your friend, and why should you miss out on the deal of a lifetime? After all, good deals on expensive meats only come around every once in a while, so make use of your freezer!
Freezing your steaks allows you to put a pause on the use-by date, allowing you to safely store your steaks for up to 3-months without having to stress about them going out of date.
Personally, I’m always freezing steaks. I like to keep a couple in the freezer should an unsuspecting sunny day arise and I decide to invite friends and family around to fire up the BBQ.
It’s always a good idea to have a couple of steaks sat in the freezer should the steak craving kick in.
The Importance Of Freezing Steak Properly
Now we know why it’s a great idea to freeze our steaks. We need to learn the importance of freezing your steak properly, and not just throwing it in the freezer any old way.
When you freeze your steak properly, you ensure that all of the moisture and goodness are locked in for the time that the steak is going to be frozen.
Have you ever tried to freeze meat and then when it’s defroste it tastes different?
I used to experience this a lot with my steaks, but mainly chicken. I would place chicken breasts into the whilst still in the grocery store packaging and then when it was time to defrost them I wouldn’t enjoy eating them.
This was largely due to the fact that I was freezing them all wrong, and when I was cooking them after defrosting they were all dried out and tasted nasty.
When it comes to steak, especially expensive steak, it’s important to freeze them properly if you want to get the most bang for your buck.
Proper freezing preparation takes less than five minutes, and you’ll ensure that the quality of the steak is not sacrificed in the process.
Steps To Freeze Steak Properly
Follow the steps below to learn how to freeze your steak properly:
Firstly, you need to remove the original packaging that your steak came in. Then you need to ensure that the steak is flat, this is a crucial step that many people miss.
The reason the steak needs to be flat and even is because if the steak is folded or creased, it’s going to be frozen in that shape for some time.
This means when it comes to defrosting the steak it’s going to be in a strange position, which can mean it doesn’t cook evenly and looks a little strange when served on the plate.
Once you’ve ensured the steak is flat and even, then you’ll want to wrap it up with some plastic wrap, two layers will do and ensure it’s nice and tight.
Then place the steak in a freezer bag and ensure you press all of the air out of the bag before placing it in the freezer. So you now should have a flat, even steak that is wrapped in plastic wrap and inside of a freezer bag.
The reason you need to compress the air out of the bag is that if the steak is frozen with trapped air, this can cause freezer burn.
The result of a steak that has freezer burn is a dehydrated and dry steak that isn’t pleasant to eat. When we defrost the steak we want it to be as juicy and tasty as it was when it was removed from the grocery store packaging.
Next, label the freezer bag with the contents and the date you placed it in the freezer, this will make it easier for you to remember and keep track of when it needs to be defrosted. You can do this with a whiteboard marker.
Place the steak on the bottom shelf of the freezer, this is because it’s the coldest part and will ensure your steak freezes quickly.
As you can see, it’s not rocket science to freeze your steak correctly. But these steps will ensure that your steak is frozen correctly and they’re ready to be cooked as soon as the time is right.
As they always say, preperation is key! That saying is certainly true when it comes to freezing high-quality meats.
Does Freezing Steak Make It Tough?
One concern that often puts people off freezing their steak is that they think it will make it tougher and less tender.
You’ll be glad to know that freezing your steak will not change the texture of the steak whatsoever.
The actual action of freezing the steak will not make a difference at all to the tenderness of the meat, that is providing you follow the steps above and don’t allow it to catch freezer burn.
How To Defrost Steak
Now that you’ve got your steaks in the freezer, you’ll want to know how to defrost them correctly.
When it comes to defrosting steak, it’s best to do this as slowly as possible, and I like to do this by placing my frozen steak in the fridge.
This gives the steak plenty of time to adjust to the temperature and gently start to defrost.
Allowing your steak to defrost over a longer period of time helps keep the moisture in the steak so that it is perfect to cook when it’s thawed out.
Other Considerations
There are a ton of benefits of freezing steak properly. Not only do you ensure that you can take advantage of deals and discounts you may see whilst shopping.
But you also ensure that you lock in the goodness and moisture, ready to thaw them out and cook up at any time.
It’s worth noting that the typical time period that you can freeze steak for is around 3-6 months.
Once this time has passed, I wouldn’t recommend eating the steaks and would dispose of them. This is because it will be more susceptible to freezer burn and the quality will have dropped quite significantly.
It’s also important to note that once you’ve defrosted your steak once, you’re then unable to refreeze it again if you want to consume it.
Steak is only safe to freeze and defrost once, please don’t be tempted to freeze it again as it could harbor harmful bacteria that could make you very sick.
Final Thoughts
Freezing steak is something we should all be more pro-active in doing, especially when done the correct way.
It allows you to preserve your steaks for 3 – 6 months without losing quality and nutritional value. Meaning you can always be prepared for that unexpected BBQ should the sun come out.
Not only that, but freezing steak allows you to take advantage of deals and offer you see when out shopping.
Not many of us will be able to eat multiple steaks in a couple of days, as it’s one of those foods that we often have to be in the mood for.
Learning how to freeze steak properly has proven very valuable for me, as I know always have a stock of 3 – 5 steaks in my freezer ready to go at any time.
Yes, I’ll need to wait for these to defrost, but I’ll typically do this overnight so that the next day my steaks defrosted and ready to cook.
Hopefully in this post you’ve learned how to freeze steak properly and now understand the importance of doing so.
Anyone can place a steak in the freezer, but not everyone knows how to store their steak correctly so that when it’s time to defrost, their steak is just as good as when it was first bought.