I have a 10 pound log of ground beef - I want to thaw it and make meat-loafs, meatballs, and hamburger patties - once made refreeze for future use - is this appropriate?
13503
What are the general rules regarding when can you refreeze food that was frozen and then thawed in the fridge? and what are the reasons behind them? (Hygiene? Food quality?). Let's assume for the sake of the argument that the items were in a non-frozen state only a few hours.  To be more specific, I'm interested in the application of these rules for  - Ginger garlic paste - Dough - Indian Curries - Green Chilly paste - Frozen green peas
23470
I kept all of the bacon grease from making bacon this weekend, and now I have a jar of solidified grease in the fridge. How long can I use this to impart bacony goodness to my fried vegetables before it goes bad?  What is the shelf life of the fat drippings from bacon, roast and other meats?
76467
My housemate often manages to pick up reduced meat from the local supermarket (Sainsbury's in the UK) at the time he comes home.  It's usually silverside, topside or brisket of beef. Occasionally it's pork shoulder.  Without fail however my meat ends up "tough". Here's the exact procedure I follow for my standard "roast":   Take frozen joint of meat out of the freezer around 8-10AM. Prepare 2 onions, celery, carrots and half bulb garlic. Throw them in my roasting pan. Season joint with salt and pepper, pour extra virgin olive oil over it, sear it in a frying pan. Cook at 20degC less than the suggested temperatures for the suggested times according to my MasterChef book, specifically for that cut of meat. For instance tonight's brisket was 900g - I cooked it at 160degC for 1h30m. Rest for 10-15m while I make the gravy and finish off the potatoes in another pan.   I cook it at 20deg less because it's a fan oven.  Can anyone explain the factors that affect how tough the meat becomes? Am I not searing properly? Is the meat prone to being tough because it's not fresh (reduced stuff)? Is it not defrosting for long enough?  Thanks in advance,
112161
I started marinating some almost-thawed chicken and skirt steak in the refrigerator on Monday.  It's Saturday, and I still haven't gotten around to cooking the meat.  Is the meat still safe to cook and eat?  I made several different marinades consisting of lime juice, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and pepper.  I'm not sure if that makes a difference.
71942
I recently made an Oven Round Roast in the oven and I followed directions quite well. I would really like to know where I went wrong.  The roast was 1.4kg and relatively round in shape, it was also quite nicely marbled with a big strip of fat on one side.        Out from the freezer and into the fridge overnight (to give it some time to cool down) and then left it out in room temperature for a   couple of hours. Took out of package and put on a rub.   I put the oven on 450 F and put the roast in (fat side up) for 10 minutes for the maillard reaction. Note that when I did this, I put it   directly on the oven rack; I put a tray underneath to catch the   drippings, but it was uncovered.   Turned oven down to 225 for 2 hours and then 200 for 5 hours.    Cut the roast into half inch slices and served.      The color was a nice pink on the inside and dark on the outside. It was still juicy and the taste was great. The roast's outside is absolutely delicious in fact, the rub turned out so well and the fat was amazingly tasty.   However, the roast was so chewy, I am very disappointed. I did a lot of research before I cooked it and found that slow cooking is a good way to tenderize meat. I also found out that certain cuts of meat need to be cooked differently. I.e. Steak should be hot and fast, and roast cuts should be long and slow (after searing it of course... yum yum yum).   In  post, 'Marti' answered by quoting a TV chef saying that when beef is being cooked it's collagen breaks down and liquifies and when it cools it turns to gelatine. Could that be what happened to my beef roast? If so, how can I avoid that?  In  post, 'Gilead' suggested a few solutions, beating the meat, cutting it against the grain, and choosing the right cooking method. Well, did I do the right cooking method? And do the other ones apply to a roast? I mean if you cut it up, it's basically cheap beef steak and I've never tried mechanically tenderizing the meat.   I really appreciate any help; I'm quite distraught over this chewy beef roast.
66326
What are the proper ways to thaw foods?   Are there any advantages or disadvantages to them?
75392
My roommate put a hunk of beef roast in the slow-cooker for a good 6 hours.  It's a fairly large sized slow-cooker, at least 8 quarts.  The meat was cooked through but very chewy, and I never remember my mom having that issue with a slow-cooker.  My roommate tends to put only enough water to get halfway up the side of the roast, and always uses a slow-cooker 'bag' (another thing my mom never did).  What advice can I offer them to get a better outcome?
97964
I picked up a pork sirloin roast yesterday, it's a little over three pounds.  I've never cooked one of these before and I am not sure what to do.  My seasoning plan is salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary, and I might poke a couple holes for cloves of garlic as well.  My cooking plan is 8+ hours in the crock pot on low, with about an inch of water in there.  Will this turn out OK?  I'd like a tender and moist result, obviously.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
16749
I know it's better to use freshly ground beans and not store it ground at all, but if I have no other choice, how can I best preserve ground coffee?   sort of asks the same thing, but the answers focus on storing whole beans, and the answers addressing ground coffee make it pretty unclear whether a cool cabinet, the fridge, or the freezer is the best place.
59257
All,  I would like to cook spare ribs to a fall-off-the-bone consistency.  I don't have access to a grill.  I know how to do that with pork shoulders (dry rubbed, then uncovered in the oven at low heat for 6-8hrs), but spare ribs are a different type of animal.  They are individually smaller pieces (my ribs are sawed in chunks), and they are fairly fatty, with a big bone.  What should I do?  Should I pan-sear them first, do I need some liquid in the dish?  Should I cover them?  Thanks,  JDelage
17908
My recipe calls for a pound of DME at the beginning of the boil and 6 pounds at 15 minutes to go.  What's the point of that?
720
I am defrosting a cooked chicken to use in a curry it will be thoroughly heated at a high temperature. If I have too much curry will i be able to freeze it, as the cooked chicken was frozen before?
32020
Storing various meals and products in fridge (or freezer) can result in mixing different flavours, which isn't that great. What are your best practises to avoid the smell?
70150
I would like to cook frozen chicken breasts in a pressure cooker for shredding and making chicken mole.  I do not want to add anything except water, but I'm having a hard time finding specific guidelines on the time to cook frozen meats with no added ingredients or steps.   In my case, I have 3 pounds of frozen chicken breasts to cook.  What are the general rules to follow for frozen meats and, in my case, how long and at what heat should I cook this for?
57748
We took our left-over turkey carcass and parts and simmered them for a few hours with water in a pot with some herbs and veggies.  After removing the solids, and separating the fat, we placed it in the fridge to be frozen the next day.  When we pulled it out, the entire bowl - not just the top - was completely gelatinous.  It is truly like Jello.    Is this OK?  Why did this happen?   We plan to vacuum seal and freeze it if safe.
97348
I have some broken hickory drum sticks that I was going to throw out; but could these be useful for smoking meat? I would assume the wood is treated.
9439
I generally defrost meat on the kitchen counter. A friend of mine suggested that this was dangerous and suggested that I defrost meat in the refrigerator. I am no biologist but it seems to me that as long as the meat doesn't get warm defrosting it on the counter should be safe.  Generally, I remove the frozen items from the freezer and place them on a plate on the counter in the packaging they were frozen in. When they are mostly / completely thawed I place the meat in the refrigerator.  Am I wrong and should I be defrosting in the refrigerator?