In the summer, I take one extra step. I make hamburgers! When ground beef is frozen in individual packages, they thaw quickly, and since they're pre-formed, dinner can be ready in no time. It's what works for me!
I weigh out individual hamburger patties at a quarter pound each using my kitchen scale. I use 93% beef; if you're using a fattier beef you may want to make your patties slightly larger as there will be more shrinkage. (Or you may want to make them smaller, it's all up to you!)
Then I form them into patties and freeze individually wrapped.
I have the best results using Reynolds Release foil. I've tried wax paper and regular foil, and the meat sticks to them too much. Here are my hamburgers all stacked up and ready for the freezer.
I put the individually wrapped hamburgers in a large zipper freezer bag and label it accordingly. Now I have many meals worth of hamburgers, ready to go!
For more great tips, visit Tammy's Recipes.
Thats a great idea, however to save $$$ on aluminum foil I make the burgers, spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray,then place burgers on it and freeze. After frozen I can then put them in a ziploc bag without them sticking to one another allowing me and take each one out individually. :)
ReplyDeleteAnon, that's a good tip too.
ReplyDeleteNow that's a super idea. I always buy in bulk also and divide and freeze in freezer bags, but I hadn't thought of going ahead and forming the hamburger patties.
ReplyDeleteOne reason I like this idea is to me it seems like once the meat has been frozen, it just doesn't patty out as well as when the meat is fresh. This would solve that problem for sure.
Thanks for sharing.
I use the wax paper from cereal boxes cut into 5 inch squares to go in between the burgers we freeze. Recycling, gotta love it :)
ReplyDeleteTo form 1/4 pound burgers, I use my 1/2 cup measuring cup. Scoop and press meat into the cup. Pop it out into your hand and flatten into burgers. It's really easy to shape them, since the meat is already round from the measuring cup. Then I usually make a couple 1/3 cup burgers for my girls...
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! Easy clean up and easy to find smaller portions.
ReplyDelete