Frozen Steaks. Yes you can!

Every other day we hear a customer saying "oh, I don't want to buy too much steak because I can't cook it in time and don't want to ruin the steak by freezing it". Also, between you and me, I don't always have the time to eat my steaks within the 3-day safe chilling period, so I do have to freeze from time to time. 

Well, guess what? We've got GREAT news to share! Frozen steak is not only good, it may even be better than chilled steak. Don't believe it? Let us prove it to you below..

Freezing meat increases tenderness in some cuts!

Photo by Weber Grills

Yes! It actually makes meat tender! A science experiment by the Kansas State University in 2016 tested 6 different steaks and found out that striploin and inside round steaks actually got 10% more tender after freezing then thawing them. Why? Due to lower moisture loss which was at 2%, the juiciness actually increased after freezing these steaks! To learn more about this research, click here.

You can actually cook a steak frozen, and cook it better than if you thaw it first!

Photo by Cook's Illustrated

I know! This was a crazy shock to us too. But some people are as crazy about meat than we are, and actually did an experiment on this! Because frozen steak takes longer for heat to penetrate the steak's surface, it actually prevents a thicker gray "overcooked" ring that you would get from a thawed steak. For the full video, click here. 

There is literally NO difference in taste experience between a chilled, never frozen steak and a frozen then thawed steak.

Yup. Freezing a steak and eating one straight from the butcher's is totally and completely fine, and won't ruin your steaxperience! This has been tried and tested by one of our youtube meat idols Guga. Watch his vid here.

So, what does this mean for you? And what are the terms and conditions to properly freeze steaks?

1. You can save more dirhams and time! Instead of buying steaks one at a time and then struggling to plan ahead, you can buy a whole slab, freeze them in portions and then pull them out of the freezer whenever you're craving to "meat". La Carne offers a 10% discount when you order whole slabs of striploin and ribeye! No need for last-minute runs or deliveries.
2. The key to freezing meat is avoiding freezer burn (those ice crystals that form on frozen food items which do not taste good).  HOW? To avoid it, place your steaks on a tray lined with parchment paper and freeze overnight. Then wrap the steaks tightly, individually, with cling wrap. Transfer to a ziplock bag. For best practice, label them to be used within 3 months. 
3. When cooking steaks without thawing, ensure you use an adequate amount of oil in the pan to allow it to brown evenly and recover the temperature quickly after adding the steak to the pan! Check out what we mean in this video. 

Hope you enjoyed this quick and super interesting (at least it was to us) note about freezing steaks! To comment on this, share your thoughts below! We'd love to hear from you.

Happy freezing,

Joan, Culinary Business Manager at La Carne

Sources:

Science Daily - Freezing steak improves tenderness of some cuts - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160215143324.htm

Cook's Illustrated - The Science of Cooking Frozen Steaks - https://www.cooksillustrated.com/videos/2784-the-science-of-cooking-frozen-steaks

Guga Foods - Are Previously FROZEN Steaks as GOOD as FRESH Steaks? - https://youtu.be/lfGKm259miY