Do you do it? Is it necessary?

Why/why not?

Not really experienced with meat preparation, mostly just eat frozen, packaged meats.

(serious question, not implying anything dirty.)

Easily thought the thread title meant something else...

but i generally dont. when you cook it the bacteria goes away anyways. unless you drop it on the floor or something

I didn't even know people wash their meat...

remember to clean behind the foreskin

I don't cook food (yet), but my mom does. She mainly does it to remove any bacteria before cooking it but as someone mentioned, cooking it should do that.

LOL at the title *mind in gutter* xD

Originally Posted by herBs

I don't cook food (yet), but my mom does. She mainly does it to remove any bacteria before cooking it but as someone mentioned, cooking it should do that.

but no, washing does nothing for bacteria, only cooking it thoroughly will kill anything, you'll only end up spreading anything like salmonella all over your kitchen sink and contaminating your sink and counter

that said, my mom does the same thing with pork, chicken, beef, lamb, and occasionally proceed to wash fruit and vegetables all my life so either I've been lucky or my body has become so accustomed from all that cross contamination LOL

Also, generally how long can I keep my meat in the fridge (not freezer)? Would it vary depending on the type of the meat I have?

Originally Posted by ...?!

Also, generally how long can I keep my meat in the fridge (not freezer)? Would it vary depending on the type of the meat I have?

I think it does depend; for instance, I think you can keep ham longer than roast beef. I'm not sure though.

Originally Posted by ...?!

Also, generally how long can I keep my meat in the fridge (not freezer)? Would it vary depending on the type of the meat I have?

most meats 5 days in refrigerator.

Meat in freezer is good for about 3-6 months. But the quality is greatly reduced the longer you leave it in the freezer.

Originally Posted by ...?!

Also, generally how long can I keep my meat in the fridge (not freezer)? Would it vary depending on the type of the meat I have?

like said above I really wouldn't keep meat in the fridge for over 5 days (although I have kept it for close to 2 weeks and I'm still alive and well) just use some common sense lol if it smells and looks okay it's probably okay although not recommended ahaha

and if you vacuum seal the meat before throwing it in the freezer, it can keep longer than if you just throw it into a container or zip lock bag, maybe around 6 months as opposed to 3-4 months (truth is though my family had a chunk of vacuum sealed pork in the freezer for 2 years and when we cooked it was still good LOL although not as flavourful as it was before)
but like noted before, the longer you keep it in the freezer it starts to become flavourless :/

cured meats do keep longer in both the fridge and freezer because of the salt

one thing you can do is prepare and cook it and pack them in microwave safe containers, let it cool fully (don't play around and stir it too much during this time, it'll make the food spoil easier) and then keep them in the freezer, shazam, homemade microwave meals that keep for a month or so only but it does cut thawing and cooking time afterwards

and just a note (it's surprising how many people don't do this) but keep raw meats at the bottom of the fridge, it's the coolest spot and this way bacteria meat juice doesn't drip over everything else

Wish I could show you guys the results of one of my first times cooking meat. Too bad no camera. >:

You really don't need to wash your meat.

However, if there's gunk on mine, I give it a light rinse, and I pat dry after.

The reason I pat it dry is because for cooking methods like searing, you need to have as little moisture as possible on the surface in order to get a good sear. Remember, water's boiling about is about 212 F, which limits the heat transfer between the oil (usually 300 F or higher for Maillard reactions to occur, which you want for a good sear). If your meat is wet, when it comes into contact with the pan it will vaporize, and your 300F oil (higher if you use a high-smoke point oil like peanut or grapeseed) will not only splatter, your meat won't get to the temperature it needs to be at.

So in short, don't wash your meat. If you do, make sure you dry it properly after.

Originally Posted by paulelastic

You really don't need to wash your meat.

However, if there's gunk on mine, I give it a light rinse, and I pat dry after.

The reason I pat it dry is because for cooking methods like searing, you need to have as little moisture as possible on the surface in order to get a good sear. Remember, water's boiling about is about 212 F, which limits the heat transfer between the oil (usually 300 F or higher for Maillard reactions to occur, which you want for a good sear). If your meat is wet, when it comes into contact with the pan it will vaporize, and your 300F oil (higher if you use a high-smoke point oil like peanut or grapeseed) will not only splatter, your meat won't get to the temperature it needs to be at.

So in short, don't wash your meat. If you do, make sure you dry it properly after.

Damn that was an elaborate reply. U know ur shizz lol

If you're working with frozen meat, defrost it properly before using it. Seal it with plastic, and put it in a cold water bath -- that's the fastest and safest way to do it.

However, there is one way to cook frozen meat without defrosting it first -- pressure cooking. You can throw your meat into a pressure cooker with seasonings and other ingredients, and cook it from a frozen state. (make sure there's enough liquid in there). A pressure cooker is like a time machine -- it is the exact opposite of a slow cooker. It works by raising the boiling temperature of the water in your meat (if you remember your P vs T curve from chemistry, when P goes up, T goes up, and when T goes up, your food cooks faster). A standard pressure cooker will go up to 15 psig (about 2 atm) which means the boiling pt is raised to 273 F (133 C).

For meat stews and braises, it cuts the cooking time from 3 hours to about 50 minutes (depending on the amount of meat). It also tenderizes it in the process, so you'll get wonderfully moist and tender chunks of goodness from very cheap tough cuts like brisket etc. It saves you money, saves you time, and you get food that is cooked better.

If you have safety concerns about operating a pressure cooker, consider this: almost every family in India has a one. You have close to 1 billion people beta-testing these things for you every day. Pressure cookers have come a long way since the 1800s. They're very safe. I've owned one for 3 years now and it's proven to be a wonderful piece of kitchen equipment.

^ ur totally the dude from Good Eats aren't you