I've been googling quite a bit on this, but would welcome the views and advice of other members on two particular issues.

1. If you buy fresh meat from the local supermarket (e.g. Big C) which is chilled but not frozen, is it alright to bring it home and then freeze it for longer term storage in a freezer. My own thoughts on this are that you shouldn't really freeze meat which wasn't already frozen when you bought it at the supermarket, but that you would probably be Ok if you got it home and in the freezer within an hour or so of purchase.

2. When you have stored meat in a frozen state how quickly would you cook and comsume it after removal from the freezer and defrosting. My own thoughts on this would be cook and consume the same day, as it will deteriorate faster (than when originally fresh) once defrosted.

I am aware that the temperatures of fridges and freezers are often not what they should be, so recently bought a fridge/freezer in order to achieve the proper temperatures in the freezer. Upon checking today with a thermometer, the temp appears to be around -10C (7F), (assuming the thermometer is accurate) which according to my Google research isn't cold enough!

According to my research Freezers should be at or below -17C (0F).
And fridges at around 2C (33/34F) for optimal quality, though 4C (40F) is acceptable.

As long as the fresh meat, is fresh, and not previously frozen then freezing the stuff you bought will not cause any harm. At worst a slight deterioration in tenderness and taste.

Beef and lamb, although it's not recommended, can be frozen, thawed and re-frozen without doing too much damage, but like I said, it's not recommended. Do not re-freeze any seafood, pork or poultry products, as they 'turn' quicker then the rest.

Please note though, that it only takes 20 minutes for bacteria to start to grow on fresh products removed from a chilled environment, especially in the heat of los. I would recommend carrying any fresh products you buy in a cool box of somekind to help with the temperature.

As for refridgeration temperatures, 0 to 4 degrees c will be fine for chilled / fresh (problems start to occur above 5 degrees) and -17 to 20 degrees will be fine for frozen, except ice cream which 'should' be kept at -25 or below, but I've never seen any problems with just storing it in a normal freezer in all honesty.

arjay wrote:2. When you have stored meat in a frozen state how quickly would you cook and comsume it after removal from the freezer and defrosting. My own thoughts on this would be cook and consume the same day, as it will deteriorate faster (than when originally fresh) once defrosted.

I missed this bit, all meat and poultry should be good for around a couple of days after they have been defrosted, but like you said, it's always best to cook and consume the same day.

But dont forget, that once it's cooked, you can either freeze it again or keep it chilled and it will be good for around 3-6 days as long as it's well chilled and depending on what it is..

BKB, Thanks for your advice and input. I was hoping you would pick up on the thread and give your advice.

Not a problem , but it sounds like it's time to tweak the knobs on your fridge/freezer though

Another thing to take into consideration is the number of times per day the door gets opened in a fridge or freezer, so keep the highly perishable items at the back where the temperarture will be a little more stable.

I have turned both the fridge and the freezer (each of which have separate controls) up to the maximum.

The ambient temperature in the house and kitchen here is usually between 30C and 34C, probably higher when we are cooking.

I've just checked the fridge temperature, which if the thermometer is correct is about 8C. It should really be lower according to my research on Google.

The fridge is opened frequently and has quite a lot of stuff in it, including green vegetables, but the freezer isn't opened very often and only has about half a dozen items in it, mostly meat - pork and chicken. Don't have any seafood.

Well ok, the stuff will probably survive at 8c, just not as long as it should...

All things considered, I'm sure you'll live, just dont eat anything with maggots crawling around in it..

Nah seriously though, we all used to survive without fridges and freezers, the key to keeping things fresh is to buy them daily

All things considered, I'm sure you'll live, just dont eat anything with maggots crawling around in it..

Yes, indeed!

This all came about because I found I was frequently getting minor upset stomachs, the morning after we had cooked and eaten at home (the evening before).

We cook mainly chicken and pork fillets, which are either cooked within 2/3 days of purchase, or the same which have been frozen within the last month. The only other stuff being eaten was salad and vegetables, all of which had been refrigerated excepting carrots and potatoes.

This was happening after I had bought a new fridge freezer, because previously we only had an old fridge with ice box and I noticed that ice cream was never anywhere near solid and went off quickly (there was an orange colour at the bottom of the ice cream carton, with a fruity smell!!)

There are no problems with ice cream in the new freezer, even though it seems to only get down to about minus 8 or 10 C. That said we don't normally keep ice cream longer than 2 weeks or anything else longer than a month.

assuming the thermometer is accurate

Where did you find a fridge and freezer thermometer Always had one in the states, just can't find one here. Have found an nice wood outdoors thermometer.

I have turned both the fridge and the freezer (each of which have separate controls) up to the maximum.

What brand did you buy? I keep mine at about the same settings as in the states. Sounds to me like you should be having frozen vegetables We have ice cubes and "Buds" ice cream in freezer, Buds is so hard, have to set it out for 5 mins or so to be able to dig it out. But otherwise freezer is empty.

The fridge is opened frequently and has quite a lot of stuff in it

over full could be the problem, sounds like you need bigger. We have two!

Where did you find a fridge and freezer thermometer Always had one in the states, just can't find one here. Have found an nice wood outdoors thermometer.

It isn't a fridge freezer thermometer, just a normal one, that's why I can't be sure that it's that accurate. (It reads down to -40C ) This morning after having adjusted the fridge and left the thermometer in overnight it was recording the fridge temp as 8C.

What brand did you buy?

It's a Sharp with the **** 4 star marking, (1 large star followed by 3 smaller ones), which in the Uk means it meets a certain/high standard for the time you can keep frozen food in the freezer part.

The downside is that the fridge part tends to be a bit on the small side, so that does tend to be full. Maybe I will have to bring the old fridge into use, just for the vegetables.

excellent advice Bkk Butcher.

Next time I skin and cut up a wild hog I will definatly look for the cold locker in South Texas. LOL

Still need your skill in Udon. Also neeed someone to cure and smoke meat. Lot of clients here.

banpaeng wrote:Still need your skill in Udon. Also neeed someone to cure and smoke meat. Lot of clients here.

Well ya never know your luck Brian, time and funding is all I need

Does anyone know if that Thai/French beef place have regular runs to Udon with their decent quality primals??

Also are there any decent cladding companies that would be able to safely kit out a large chiller / freezer room at a reasonable cost??

Can someone point me in the right direction to find smokers and any other bits of kit I would need for a 'real' butchery??

Just some of the questions I need to find answers for, but there are a million others