About beef
How to Store and Thaw Frozen Beef in a Kitchen
Why a stable −18 °C matters, how long vacuum-packed beef keeps, how long a 0.6 to 5.5 kg cut takes to thaw and how to plan thawing for a banquet.
MYASYA team4 min readupdated
Why −18 °C, and why stable
At −18 °C microorganisms don't multiply, and processes in the meat almost stop. A cut keeps its colour, moisture and fibre structure for months.
But what matters is not so much the number as stability. Every rise to −10…−12 °C partly melts the small ice crystals, and when the temperature returns to −18 °C they refreeze into large ones. Large crystals tear the fibres, and after thawing such a cut loses more juice and holds its shape worse on the grill.
The warmest spot is by the freezer door: every opening lets warm air in. So put steak cuts and tongue at the back and at the bottom, and keep by the door what goes into work today.
How long it keeps
The main guide is the date on the producer's label: it assumes an intact vacuum bag and a stable −18 °C. For frozen vacuum-packed cuts producers usually state 12 months or more, for offal less. After thawing the count is in days. Your venue's own rules take priority.
Frozen cut, vacuum-packed
- Storage
- −18 °C
- Approximately
- Per label, usually 12 months or more
Frozen offal, vacuum-packed
- Storage
- −18 °C
- Approximately
- Per label, usually less
Thawed cut, vacuum intact
- Storage
- 0…+4 °C
- Approximately
- 3-5 days
Vacuum opened, cut under film
- Storage
- 0…+4 °C
- Approximately
- 1-2 days
Portioned steaks
- Storage
- 0…+4 °C
- Approximately
- Same or next day
How to thaw a cut
The only method that harms neither safety nor texture is slowly in the fridge at 0…+4 °C, in the unopened bag.
Step 1. Bottom shelf, in a tray
So condensation or a possible leak doesn't reach ready-to-eat food.
Step 2. Don't stack
Air should flow around every bag, otherwise the bottom ones thaw a day later than the top ones.
Step 3. Label it
Name, weight, date and time, who put it there.
Step 4. Check with a probe, not the clock
The cut is soft all the way through, 0…+2 °C at the centre. A hard centre with soft edges means it's not ready yet.
Step 5. Give it another 6-12 hours
The temperature evens out, and the steaks cook evenly.
The figures below are a guide. A flat cut thaws faster than a round one of the same weight, and a fridge that's opened constantly thaws slower.
Beef tongue
- Weight
- 0.6-1.5 kg
- Time at 0…+4 °C
- 18-30 h
Astra ribeye
- Weight
- 1.2-1.5 kg
- Time at 0…+4 °C
- 24-36 h
Astra filet mignon
- Weight
- 1.5-2.7 kg
- Time at 0…+4 °C
- 30-48 h
Astra eye round
- Weight
- 1.5-2.5 kg
- Time at 0…+4 °C
- 30-48 h
Frigon ribeye
- Weight
- up to 3 kg
- Time at 0…+4 °C
- 36-60 h
Frigon striploin
- Weight
- 3.5-4 kg
- Time at 0…+4 °C
- 48-72 h
Astra striploin
- Weight
- 4.5-5.5 kg
- Time at 0…+4 °C
- 60-84 h (2.5-3.5 days)
Why not in water or on the counter
On the counter the surface warms to +15…+20 °C and sits for hours in the range where bacteria multiply fastest, while the centre is still frozen. Warm water does the same faster and also washes out the juice: the steak goes grey on the grill and won't hold a crust.
Cold running water over an intact bag is an acceptable emergency option for small pieces. For a 4-5 kg cut it still means hours and uneven thawing.
Refreezing
Raw thawed beef is not refrozen: a second cycle damages the fibres even more, and between cycles the meat has spent time at an unsafe temperature. Thawed too much? Cook it, cool it quickly and treat it as a cooked product.
Smell and colour after opening the vacuum bag
A freshly opened bag may have a slight sourish smell, and the meat a dark, almost burgundy colour. This is normal for vacuum-packed beef: after 15-30 minutes in the air the smell goes and the meat turns red. A sharp, lasting smell and a slimy surface are a different story: such a product doesn't go into work.
- Pat it dry with a towel; don't rinse it with water.
- Put it on a rack in a gastronorm pan, cover it, label it with the opening date.
- Portion for a specific service, not a week ahead.
- The rest goes back into the fridge and into work within 1-2 days.
How to plan thawing for a banquet
Example: 60 guests, a 300 g steak. That's 18 kg of portions plus 10-15 % for trimming, about 20-21 kg of striploin. For Astra that's four bags of 4.5-5.5 kg, each thawing in 2.5-3.5 days. So for a Saturday banquet, put it in to thaw no later than Tuesday, and portion on Friday.
Step 1. Work out the weight
Number of portions × portion weight + a margin for trimming.
Step 2. Choose the cut and number of bags
The weight of each cut is listed in the catalogue.
Step 3. Count back from the event day
Thawing time from the table plus 12-24 hours for the temperature to even out.
Step 4. Order with time to spare
The batch should arrive before the day you start thawing, to allow for receiving and a temperature check.
Step 5. Portion the day before
Keep the portions in the fridge on racks.
Vacuum-packed ribeye, striploin and filet mignon, −18 °C, orders from 5 kg.Steaks in the catalogue →
