Vacuum sealing is a great way to make your food last longer, but it has other advantages too. Everyone knows cooking meat requires a lot of preparation; you need to defrost, marinade, season, and more. Vacuum sealing can also help cut down prep-time significantly, and you will be surprised at how long can vacuum sealed meat last in the refrigerator.
How Long Does Meat Usually Last in the Refrigerator?
Meat and other food groups tend to spoil due to the growth of harmful bacteria and molds. If you leave them for longer than their shelf lives, the bacteria or fungi spread on the meat. Consuming rotten meat can result in food poisoning, so you must always make sure the meat you cook is safe to use. If in doubt, don’t eat it.
When storing meat, it is important to be aware of the different shelf lives raw meat has. If you buy tough meat products such as beef, veal, and pork, they will typically last one to two weeks in your fridge.
Fresh poultry such as chicken, duck, and turkey will last about one to two days. Fresh fish on the other hand will spoil after one to two days, and smoked fish can last up to two weeks.
How Long Can Vacuum Sealed Meat Last in the Refrigerator?
Vacuum sealing makes all types of meat last longer. Most meat products usually last between six to ten days. However, the length of time of is also dependent on a number of other factors, including:
- Meat freshness
- Acidity or pH level
- Fridge temperature
- Marinade ingredients
- Sanitation and cleanliness of the meat
- Lamination used to vacuum seal
In short, then, under the right conditions, meat like beef and veal can last six weeks after vacuum sealing. Pork will last a good two weeks while poultry and fish will remain edible for at least one week.
How Do You Vacuum Seal Meat Properly?
Vacuum sealing is essentially the process of removing air surrounding the food product while encasing it in hermetically sealed packaging. Air has moisture which quickens the growth of bacteria or fungi. By removing air, you are decreasing moisture and oxygen levels, which reduce the rate at which food spoils.
Before you vacuum seal food, you need to make sure your ingredients are fresh and clean. Sealing meat which is past its best will give you poor results. Also, make sure the temperature of your fridge is below 40° F.
That is because the ideal growth temperature for most bacteria falls between 40° F and 140° F. If your refrigerator temperature is below 40° F, it slows down the rate of growth.
To properly seal meat and seafood, you need to follow a few simple steps. First, you will need a vacuum sealer and vacuum sealer bags.
Cut and clean the meat into proper portions since it will be easier for the marinade to penetrate the meat, as well as when you smaller bags (smaller bags have less air).
After this, all you need to do the following:
- Make sure the meat is dry if you have washed it beforehand. Simply dab it with a paper towel.
- If the meat has bones, wrap it with protective netting before putting it in. This is important so that the bones do not puncture the bag.
- Place meat in a vacuum sealer bag but leave space at all four edges.
- Make sure the packaging is dry on the outside or else the bag will not seal.
- Place the edge of the bag on the vacuum sealer.
- Turn on the vacuum sealer.
- Support the bag with your hand.
- Press the sealer, but do not rush the procedure and make sure all the air is sealed out. You will see that the plastic bag will shrink with the removal of air.
- The bag should be completely airtight when it is ready. There should also be no wrinkles or bubbles anywhere as that indicates air.
- After the bag is sealed, place it in the refrigerator.
- You can write the seal date on top of the bag so that you can keep track.
Advantages of Vacuum Sealing Meat
As mentioned above, there are several benefits of vacuum sealing. Not only does it make food last longer, but it also saves you valuable prep time. With meat, you have to spend hours defrosting and marinating it, but with vacuum sealing, the meat loses its moisture, making it stay fresh rather than frosty.
Other than this, vacuum sealing meat also:
- Makes cooking more organized: Placing vacuum sealed meat in the fridge takes less space. You can easily locate the meat you need. It is always available to you already cut up and prepped, so you do not have to make a mess in the kitchen.
- Protects meat from freezer burn: Through vacuum sealing, the meat is fresh and soft. Without moisture, you avoid the icy layer that forms on meat in the freezer.
- Makes food taste better: Vacuum sealed meat gives your food a richer flavor. You can marinade the meat inside the plastic bag to give it more taste. Simply keeping the meat in the freezer can diminish its texture and taste over time. Vacuum sealing helps preserve the juices, texture, and the actual taste of the meat.
- Saves you money in the long run: You do not need to go to the market for fresh meat each time you need to cook. Simply buy meat in bulk, cut it up into smaller portions, seal them, and they will sustain you for a long time. It is certainly less costly as you save up on trips to the market and you can even get good deals for buying in bulk.
Conclusion
Vacuum sealing is an efficient way to cut down your monthly food budget. Buying a vacuum sealer is a good investment for anyone looking for more organized ways to run their household.
Meat is particularly troublesome; it can be expensive and harder to fry, boil, or bake than other food items. With vacuum sealing, it becomes easier to cook, and it lasts twice as long.
Since you now know how long can vacuum sealed meat last in the refrigerator, we urge you to try it out.
I want to know how long will meat last in a freezer instead of a refrigerator?
Vacuum sealed and put in the freezer will last 6 months for fish and poultry and up to a year for beef.
How long will meat last in a freezer instead of the refrigerator?
I had cooked turkey vacuumed sealed and took it out of freezer and put in fridge to defrost. My question is how long in fridge will it last after haven been frozen and vacuumed sealed in fridge before I have to throw it out because unsafe to eat?
When defrosted, poultry, fish and mince will keep safely in the fridge for 1-2 days. Beef, pork, lamb, etc be safe for 3-5 days after thawing.
I have the food saver system. I want to know if I can send frozen meat if the shipping takes 2-3 days, will the meat still be alright if it is immediately placed in the feezer?
I would advise against refreezing. It would be OK if you defrosted it in the fridge and then refroze. But if it is being sent then it could be subject to temperature differences which could cause problems, not to mention that the flavor/texture will be compromised. I hope that answers your question. The general guidelines for refreezing meat are as follows:
When defrosted, poultry, fish and mince will keep safely in the fridge for 1-2 days. Beef, pork, lamb, etc be safe for 3-5 days after thawing.
How can I tell if filet mignon, which is vacuum sealed, is still good? It was left in the refrigerator for 3 weeks. It is an entire filet, uncooked, approximately 6 pounds. It was vacuumed seal by the butcher, then sent to the retailer and finally purchased by me. It accidentally was moved to the back of the refrigerator and was unseen for 3 weeks. It is still the correct color of red, exactly the same color as when it was purchased. There does seem to be more blood in the package than I recall, however from it’s appearance the filet look beautifully. If it has gone bad, will there be a bad smell when I open the package? Thank You for any help you can provide.