24.9.10
What Do You Do with Ten Pounds of Defrosted Ground Beef? Cook Ahead!
September 24, 2010
Alright--so I didn't PLAN to cook ahead. But that doesn't mean that it isn't a good idea. Right? If I had a nickel for every time we have defrosted meat and then decided we didn't feel like cooking it after all, I'd be rich. That's the 'catch 22' of having meat stocked up in the freezer. If you are going to cook it, you first have to defrost it. And once it's been frozen, you aren't supposed to re-freeze it. So you HAVE to cook it all at once--yes--all TEN POUNDS of it.
Truth be told, when I was a young homemaker, who didn't have to cart teenagers all over kingdom come, I did plan and cook ahead all of my meat for the week. It was so nice to see all that chicken and beef simmering, roasting, frying and slow-cooking at once. It helped tremendously to have the biggest part of the dinner job already done when I was nursing a baby, training a toddler, and home-schooling a couple of kiddos all simultaneously.
I have to give credit where it is due though. I learned that great idea from Denise Schofield's book Confessions of an Organized Homemaker. Her book was my homemaking 'bible' at one time. She had great mottos that really stuck in my mind and helped me to become more disciplined in my work. My favorite was "Do it Daily".
But the principle she taught, that I applied here, was to get as much out of one 'get ready and clean up' as possible. If you cook all of your meat at once, you make a pretty big mess, but you only have to get ready to cook and clean up afterward ONCE instead of seven times. She challenged me to 'get off of KST-- Kitchen Standard Time'.
So, it was only natural , when I realized that the ten pound package of ground beef from Sam's Club was still sitting in the fridge a few days ago, that I would want to spend the evening cooking ahead instead of watching a movie or reading a book. I didn't mind because I knew it would pay off big time over the next few days. I had company coming on two of those days and would be sewing that whole time on a banner.
After a hard day of sewing, desk work, or chasing after toddlers, there's nothing like pulling a bag of meatballs or cooked taco meat out of the freezer and putting dinner together in 20 minutes. And the cleanup is a cinch!
Happy Homemaking!
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4 comments
I don't think I've ever had ten pounds of ground beef at one time! We just recently acquired a freezer (waited 24 years for that one) and have yet to fill it up! How/where do you get your bulk meats? Locally? Or someplace like Omaha Steaks? I've heard of them but never tried 'em. I don't know if I could buy meat sight unseen!
Hi Donna. Just popping in real quick. I'm getting ready to head back home but am borrowing a friends computer. I'll be heading home in a couple of hours but I seen all that meat. wow! That is a great idea. I'll have to do that next time. Cook my meatball, etc. Great hints. Mickey was wondering about Omaha Steaks and I have ordered from them and find them to be pretty good, small but good. They also have a lot of sales and you get the meat in packed dry ice and it isn't bad at all. Donna, great post. See you when I get back home in a couple of hours. Take care.
oooh, I am going to have to look for that book, it looks so useful. I find it easy to be less organized since I have only one child, I don't have to do everything in the most efficient way possible, but if I DID, I'd have so much more time for sewing, or reading, or taking the little one to the park....
I made meatballs this week too.. with the last of our grassfed beef from our friend in Sulphur Springs ... yummy! Looks like you'll be having a similar dinner soon too.
love the size of that pan..you must have a huge cooker to feed your big family. I use the slow cooker for most of my meals as I can put it on at 7am and its done for tea time
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