Stock Your Freezer With Minced Meat – But Cook It First

Whether you stocked up at a sale or bought time on a looming best-by date, you very likely have some ground beef in your freezer. It seems so useful, like such a good starting point for so many recipes, but when have you ever remembered to defrost frozen ground beef in advance? Then you’ve got to brown it or cook it through before it goes into your pasta dish, casserole or taco shell. It’s not such a time-saver after all.

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But what if you did future-you a favour and cooked your ground beef before you froze it? I know — duh! But it took this tip from The Kitchn to make me realise this would work, and maybe I’m not alone.

Brown and cook your ground beef, seasoned neutrally with just salt. Let it cool and then freeze flat in zip-top bags, measured out by cups or portions, if you feel fancy, and label with the date. It will stay good for about four months, but with how easy the beef will be to use now that it’s cooked — seriously, you can drop it still-frozen into your slow-cooker — you’ll likely use it up well before then.

This One Tip Is a Game-Changer for Frozen Ground Beef [The Kitchn]