STORAGE
Upon delivery of Beyond Belief Gourmet’s frozen meats and seafood, please place them in the freezer in a timely manner.
In accordance with the guidelines established by the USDA, it is essential to maintain a constant freezer temperature at or below 0 °F.
If you have plans to use any of Beyond Belief Gourmet’s products within 24 hours, store them in the refrigerator (40 °F or less). While foods are in the process of thawing in the refrigerator, they remain safe. After thawing, use ground meats, poultry, and fish within one or two additional days, and use beef, pork, lamb or veal (roasts, steaks, or chops) within three to five days.
Please make sure to follow these guidelines to ensure proper food safety practices are observed.
THAWING
It is crucial to keep in mind that frozen foods should not be thawed on the counter or in hot water, and must not remain at room temperature for more than two hours.
There are recommended safe methods to properly thaw food, which includes using the refrigerator or cold water. We do not advise the use of a microwave for thawing purposes.
As food safety is a top priority in our industry, we strongly advise following these guidelines to maintain the highest standard of quality and safety.
Refrigerator Thawing
Most of the food thawed in the refrigerator requires about 24 hours. Small amounts of frozen food – such as a pound of ground meat or chicken breasts, or steaks, require a full day, or more to thaw completely.
Food will take longer to thaw in a refrigerator set at 35 °F than one set at 40 °F.
After thawing in the refrigerator, items such as ground meat, stew meat, poultry, seafood, should remain safe and maintain good quality for an additional day or two before cooking. Red meat cuts, such as beef, pork or lamb roasts, chops and steaks, that are stored in the refrigerator, should remain safe and in good quality for 3 to 5 days.
Food thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking, although there may be some loss of quality.
Cold Water Thawing
This method is faster than refrigerator thawing and may require a little more attention, but it allows you to consume the food sooner.
Take the individual packages of product you wish to consume and without opening the vacuum pack, place in a bowl with a gentle stream of cold running water, for about 30–60 minutes, or until there is no longer evidence of it still being frozen. Then open the vacuum pack, using scissors or a sharp knife, remove the product and rinse under the faucet and pat dry.
Do not thaw any exposed meat or seafood without the protection of a plastic bag, as the food will absorb water and lose some of its flavor. If you opt for not putting it in cold running water, change the water every 30 minutes, so it continues to thaw.
A 3-to 4-pound package may take 2 to 3 hours. Once the food is thawed completely, you’ll need to cook it immediately. If you have changed your plans, you can safely refreeze the food once you’ve cooked it thoroughly.
