3 cookings questions

[zas123]

After I have pre-cooked all my ground beef (to conserve space and convience), how long can it stay in the fridge before having to be eaten or thrown away (as a general rule)?? I like to add beef to pizzas, or hamburger helper, or make nachos, or just do whatever.

Also, my roommates complain about the smell of those frozen patties you buy at walmart when I cook them at on a george forman, any suggestions on how to improve the smell for them?

Also I'm new to cooking in this apartment. What are some good dishes that don't take too long to make, and can be afforded on a college students budget? I'm an athlete so I need lots of protien, but I do like vegetables to add flavor and such.

[mcnerd]

Cooked or raw it will only be good for a few days in the refrigerator. Why don't you freeze the cooked ground beef. Then it will last a year or more and you can pull out what you want at any time.

I do this and store the GB in vacuum seal bags so it will not get freezer burn. I do the same with chicken and many other things, storing in serving size portions. Then I just reheat in the microwave.

Use spices to improve the flavor and aroma of foods. There are charts available, probably on the Internet, to show what spices and herbs go with what foods.

[lesley]

I have left minced beef in the freezer for weeks, but I don't leave it in there for months on end, it's just my preference, I have done in the past, (years ago) but found it chewy, it may be caused by defrosting too quickly. I don't defrost in the micro any more, I just leave it out the night before & let it defrost natually, then put it in the fridge, this prevents pouring off the meat juices (natural beef juices turn to ice crystals on freezing). What about buying the free-flow ground beef?

[Drama Queen]

I have left minced beef in the freezer for weeks, but I don't leave it in there for months on end, it's just my preference, I have done in the past, (years ago) but found it chewy, it may be caused by defrosting too quickly. I don't defrost in the micro any more, I just leave it out the night before & let it defrost natually, then put it in the fridge, this prevents pouring off the meat juices (natural beef juices turn to ice crystals on freezing). What about buying the free-flow ground beef?

I'll be doing a blog on this soon, but I wanted to tell you now that if you haven't invested in a FoodSaver you need to. This is probably one of the best kitchen appliances to come along since fire was discovered.

You can freeze just about anything you want to and keep it for a year in your freezer without a trace of freezer burn or ice crystals. It will be one of the most important appliances in your kitchen. I never freeze anything, including soups, sauces, fish, poultry, meat, etc. without first vacuum sealing it.

If you won't or can't buy one, then wrap your meat in Saran wrap and place it in a freezer zip loc bag. This will keep a lot of the ice crystals from forming and prevent a lot of freezer burn. Go for the Food Saver is you can. It's worth every cent.

As for the smell of frozen patties, why not just by ground beef and make your own patties? At least you know what you're buying and they may smell fresher. Try seasoning the patties with steak seasoning to improve the aroma, and by the way, when I do hamburgers on my GF grill, I'm not happy with the smell either. Must be something with the grill.

Just another note here, never leave anything "out" on the counter to thaw. Put it in the fridge or you'll end up with more than thawed meat. Trust me. You only get food poisoning once. ONCE!!

[RecipeRiver]

Hi zas123,

As for your request for quick high protein chow, I would suggest nachos with ground beef (or turkey burger) with beans (refried or whole). You just put the cooked meat on the chips along with the beans. Put as much shredded cheese on as you like and then heat in the oven until melty. (usually 10 or 12 minutes at 350 degrees). Then you can garnish with vegetables, salsa, and avocados, etc.

Might be something you like. It was one of my high protein quick dinners that I liked when I was pregnant and needed a "baby body builder" diet.

[Semigourmet]

I don't like the smell of any meat cooking if it isn't seasoned. try adding some salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. as for easy cheap meals, Stew meat is Cheap, and can be made into lots of dishes, such as Royal Round Steak (like stroganoff) beef Stroganoff, creamy beef and potato Stew, rustic beef and ale ragout, Steak and potato Soup, Vegetable Beef Barley Soup, Zesty Italian Beef Tips, Wild Mushroom Beef Stew.

[simrnz]

Here's the answer to the third question which is the best protien rich easy meals can include any recipe having nuts, tofu, soymilk, milk, yogurt, cheese, beans, lentils since these are for those who like meatless meals with higher protein. You can do an ingredient based search for any of these ...

[kastal]

Any kind of meat should place in freezer instead of fridge so that it become safe for cooking. Whenever my father bring ground meat, I always boil them in ginger garlic paste and salt and then freeze, in this way it becomes safe and can use for months. I also make meat balls of fresh ground meat and then freeze them after shallow fry the meat balls so that i can use them any time.

[Semigourmet]

you could do black bean garnachas, easy quick, and high in protein and fiber

Serves 4
Ingredients

1 can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion
1 can black beans or pinto beans, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons minced jalapenos (optional)
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup cubed grilled chicken
4 flour tortillas
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese



Directions

1. Combine undrained tomatoes, beans, garlic, jalapeno peppers and cumin in large skillet. Cook over medium high heat 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

2. Arrange tortillas in single layer on grill over medium heat. Spread about ¾ cup chicken mixture over each tortilla. Top with cheese.

3. Cook about 3 minutes or until bottoms of tortillas are browned and cheese is melted. Top with shredded lettuce, diced avocado and sliced jalapeno peppers, if desired. Or fresh diced tomatoes.

[Semigourmet]

Royal Round Steak

Ingredients

1 to 2 pounds round steak or stew meat cubes
1 to 2 tablespoons oil
1 envelope (1 ounce) dry onion soup mix
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Hot cooked rice or cooked egg noodles



Cook Time: 6 to 7 hours (HIGH)

Directions

1. Trim round steak and cut into cubes. (Partially freeze meat for easier cutting).

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Brown meat on all sides.

3. Combine dry soup mix and canned soup in mixing bowl. Pour into 4 quart crock pot slow cooker. Add browned meat. Cover; cook on high 6-7 hours.

4. To serve, spoon over prepared rice or egg noodles.



Note: I added ½ cup sour cream at the end. But it is not necessary if you don’t care for sour cream.