HelloFresh is a widely used service known for its high-quality ingredients and meals delivered to your door. However, you can’t expect to eat every meal that HelloFresh delivers entirely. So, can you freeze the meals and meats that HelloFresh delivers?
You can freeze HelloFresh meat and the other components of the meals. However, you can only freeze them for a limited amount of time before they’ll begin to deteriorate in quality.
Let’s take an in-depth look at how to freeze the meats in HelloFresh meals. I’ll also tell you how long your HelloFresh meat will last in the freezer and other circumstances, such as when you refrigerate or leave it out.
How Do You Freeze HelloFresh Meats?
HelloFresh meals come with a wide variety of meats. Like any butcher-shop variety of meat, the different types and cuts in HelloFresh meals have various freezing requirements. Freezing a fish filet is different from freezing a chicken breast; the same goes for any meat.
You freeze HelloFresh meats differently depending on the type of meat and cut. Different types and cuts of meat all require various freezing methods. Meats also have different amounts of time they can stay in the freezer before they start to degrade in quality.
So what requirements do different types and cuts of meat have for freezing? The rest of this article will go further in-depth on how to freeze HelloFresh meats and why you should freeze your uneaten meats.
Freezing HelloFresh Beef
One common meat found in HelloFresh meals is beef. HelloFresh offers food kits with ground beef, sirloin tips, tenderloins, and other cuts. You can freeze all of these cuts, but each has unique considerations.
The first step when freezing any meat, including beef, is to wrap it. Wrapping any kind of meat in a freezer-safe material (like plastic or metal) before freezing reduces the risk of the meat getting freezer-burned and prevents any odors from getting into it.
If you want to freeze ground beef, wrap it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, or put it in a plastic bag. Ground beef can be kept in the freezer for around four months before its quality degrades.
Freezing steaks is similar to freezing ground beef – you only need to wrap the meat in a protective layer. However, for steaks specifically, the colder your freezer is, the better. Try to get your freezer to 0º F (-17.8º C) for the best results. Steaks will last for around three months in the freezer at these low temperatures.
Freezing HelloFresh Chicken
Another common meat found in HelloFresh meals is chicken. They offer meals with chicken breasts, thighs, wings, and drumsticks, among others.
Freezing chicken is relatively simple. Wrap the chicken in aluminum foil before storing it in the fridge, as aluminum foil is best for preserving chicken. Things like plastic wrap or plastic bags aren’t as effective at preventing freezer burn in chicken compared to beef.
The chicken will last around three months in the freezer, so utilize it within three months of freezing the meat.
Freezing HelloFresh Pork
Pork is also found in plenty of HelloFresh meals. Sausage, pork chops, pork tenderloins, and ground pork are all found in HelloFresh kits.
Like every other meat, you should wrap your pork in some sort of wrap, like aluminum foil or plastic wrap. However, different kinds of pork will last different amounts of time in the freezer.
Raw pork will last between 4 and 12 months in the freezer. Ground pork will last for 3 to 4 months, while cooked pork lasts around 3. Utilize the meat within those time frames to maintain quality.
Freezing HelloFresh Fish
The last type of meat I’ll cover is fish. Different cuts and types of fish are used in HelloFresh meals. The company packages meals with salmon, tuna, tilapia, cod, and barramundi. However, unlike chicken, beef, and pork, there are multiple ways to freeze fish.
There are three primary ways to freeze fish: vacuum sealing them, which can also be done with other meats, wrapping them in a wrap and freezing, or ice glazing the fish. All three methods will help retain a fish’s freshness and help prevent freezer burn.
Pre-frozen fish will last indefinitely in the freezer. However, cooked fish will lose quality after three months, whereas raw fish will retain quality for 3 to 8 months.
Should You Freeze HelloFresh Meat?
You can freeze HelloFresh meat, but should it be frozen?
You should freeze HelloFresh meat if you cannot eat all of it and plan on eating it later. Freezing meat prevents the growth of bacteria and mold, which keeps your food fresher for longer, prolonging its edibility.
How Long Does HelloFresh Meat Last?
So, now that we’ve talked all about how to freeze your HelloFresh meats and how long they’ll last in your icebox let’s look into how long your meat will last if you don’t freeze it.
HelloFresh meat lasts three to five days in the fridge, whereas meat can last for several months in the freezer. Whenever you leave HelloFresh meat out, disease-causing organisms like bacteria will begin to grow on it. Freezing your meat prevents the growth of these organisms.
For any meat that you plan on eating soon, storing it in the fridge is acceptable. However, any meat you want to keep for more extended periods will have to go into the freezer. If you leave it on the counter, it’ll only last around 2 hours before it becomes inedible.
Conclusion
HelloFresh meats can, and should, be frozen. Freezing unused meats allows you to keep the meat for longer, letting you eat it later on down the line. If it goes unfrozen, it will spoil and become inedible due to the presence of microorganisms.
To freeze any meat, wrap it in foil or wrap. Beef and pork can be covered in things like aluminum foil and plastic wrap, whereas it’s best only to wrap the chicken in aluminum foil. After wrapping the meat, you can store it in the freezer.
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