Can You Freeze Steak (Uncooked or Cooked)? – How To Successfully Freeze Steak?

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Can You Freeze Steak?: Who doesn’t want to treat oneself to an amazingly delicious fillet of steak, heavily grilled and accompanied by a bowl of fresh salad or soup? Are taste Buds watering right? You might also want to buy a steak dish or make it on your own in a large quantity and preserve it for future consumption without any preparation.

Well, good news! Be it cooked or uncooked, you can stop wondering whether steak can be stored or frozen well or not. As we have got your covered with the necessary details on the same for you in an easy-to-follow guide. Let’s dive into the topic now.

Can You Freeze Steak

Can You Freeze Steak In The Package?

Freezing steak gives you amazing results as compared to other meat dishes. But, freezing steak in its original packaging is not a good idea because these types of right plastic packaging triggers condensation when frozen.

Hence, remove the original store-bought packaging steak comes with and follow the steps mentioned in the sections below to freeze it properly and keep it fresh for the longest time possible.

How To Freeze Steak Without Ruining It?

Freezing your steak calls for two important factors. First, is to prep the storage set up in such a way that your meat isn’t subject to freezer burn and the second is to keep it away from air exposure.

Both of these can be achieved if you know the appropriate techniques. If you are picking to freeze your steak raw, then these are the steps you need to follow:

  1. To start with, place your steak on a sheet of aluminum foil or cling film and wrap it very tightly. If you are freezing more than one piece of steak, ensure wrapping each of the pieces individually.
  2. Once your steak is properly wrapped and ready, put it in a suitably sized freezer bag.
  3. Add a label with the current date to be always sure of consuming your steak within the safety timeframe and put it in the freezer.

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Can You Freeze Steak After Cooking?

Yes, of course, you can go by that. If you are ready with an already cooked steak, you might want to store it in the freezer in order to keep consuming it for a long time rather than do the entire cooking every single time.

Here is a step-by-step guide that will help you with the same:

  1. Prepare your steak as per your preferred recipe, and then allow it to cool down completely at room temperature. Make sure to never place warm or slightly hot meat inside the freezer for food safety purposes.
  2. Next, wrap your cooked steak fret with a tin foil sheet or a plastic cling film making sure it is tightly sealed and protected from freezer burn. Again, if you have more than one piece, ensure wrapping all the pieces individually for precise protection.
  3. Once your steak is wrapped and ready, put it inside a thick freezer-safe bag and seal it.
  4. Follow this by adding a label having the current date, use-by date, and contents.

How Long Can You Freeze Steak Before It Goes Bad?

You can freeze steak and make it last for around 6 months if it is uncooked or raw. Cooked steak can be made to last in the freezer for up to 3 months maximum. This difference in longevity is because cooked steak will start to deteriorate in taste and flavor due to the presence of other perishable ingredients, more quickly, as compared to raw steak.

So if you are planning to preserve your steak for a longer period of time then it is better to freeze it uncooked and then cook it in portions as you require. A refrigerator is definitely not a good option to store your steak but you can do so too if you are planning to consume it within the upcoming month.

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Important Tips for Freezing Steak Without Losing Quality

Here in this segment, you are going to read about some amazing tips and tricks that we recommend you follow if you want to achieve the best results from your frozen steak. Here they are as follows:

  • Leaving it Uncooked- It is true that you can freeze cooked steak without any issue, but always try to opt for freezing steak uncooked if possible as it is longer lasting. Steak retains most of its nutrients when kept raw, but as soon as you cook it, it is likely to show a sharp difference in quality if kept for a longer period of time.
  • Store your steaks flat- If you want the steak to hold its true form upon defrosting and not bent or lopsided, then ensure placing the steak pieces flat in the freezer bag
  • Leave it undercooked- If you want to achieve close to the quality that raw steak holds and also want to save up on the cooking time, it is best to partially cook your steak and then freeze it. You can complete the rest of the slight cooking left after defrosting your required portions.
  • Freeze only Once- Make it very clear that you must never refreeze your steak. If you have a big cut of steak fillet and are not very sure to manage it in one sitting, then try portioning it into pieces before freezing. This will not only allow you to get precise portions at the time of defrosting but will also prevent you from ruining your steak.
  • Consider a vacuum sealer- Since it is important to press out as much air as possible from your sealable airtight bags while storing the steak pieces inside, try investing in a good vacuum sealer, which will make the job easier for you.

How to Defrost Steak For Consumption?

Defrosting steak is easy but you will have to thaw it properly first. For this, you need to remove the steak from the freezer and transfer it to the fridge just the night before you are planning to consume it and let it thaw there overnight. Once your steak is thawed and ready, put it in the microwave for reheating.

Make sure you keep the microwave at a medium setting and gradually go up, as otherwise, you are likely to affect its texture. Also, something you need to especially remember here is you must never defrost steak, be it cooked or uncooked, because it is a high source of protein and attracts bacteria very quickly.

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Can You Refreeze Steak?

Now you must be wondering whether you can refreeze steak after thawing or not. Well, no, you must not freeze steak more than once. Although, it might sometimes be safe to refreeze steak but doing so is definitely going to affect the overall consistency of the steak once it is cooked or reheated and may also lack flavor.

So it is best to avoid refreezing the steak. In case you are worried about wasting a lot of leftover steaks, then it is best recommended to portion out your steak as per your serving style and then freeze it so that you can defrost and consume only as much as you need.

FAQs on Can I Freeze Steak Cooked or Uncooked?

1. Does freezing ruin steak?

Absolutely not, if you properly wrap your steak and consume it within the stipulated time of 3-6 months, then it will stay as fresh and safe as before.

2. Is it better to freeze or refrigerate steak?

To keep your raw steak fresh for a couple of days when you are planning to eat it up within a week’s time, the refrigerator is a good option. But to freeze your steak, cooked or uncooked for up to a long 6 months, for instance, the freezer is the best option.

3. How long will the steak last in the fridge?

Steaks, like any other meat or poultry, can last in the fridge for about 3-5 days only, provided you have covered it tightly and protected it from freezer burn.

4. Is steak safe to eat if it turns brown?

If your steak is just a few days old it’s ok to have it because darkening is a very common phenomenon steak shows due to oxidation and chemical changes due to Oxygen in myoglobin when frozen, but if a long time has passed, discard it.

5. Does freezing steak make it more tender?

No, freezing your steak under tight wraps will not change its original texture, but it might turn hard instead due to freezer burn if you mistakenly leave gaps.

Closing Thoughts

Summarising it all, freezing your cut steak is an excellent way of preserving it for a long period of time. Regardless of what the cut is, be it a fillet, tea bone, etc. you can freeze all of them if your techniques are tight. To ensure that you freeze your steak in just the right way, we have articulated this article, hoping that we were helpful enough. Stay tuned for more such interesting food-related articles.

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