Don't Put Your Meat In The Freezer Until You Do This Time-Saving Trick

Although making a batch of slow cooker chicken mole and steamed rice for grab-and-go lunches is a great way to start your week, true meal prep goes a bit deeper, encouraging you to dedicate a little extra free time to do future you the huge favor of creating convenience. And that often involves smart food storage. For instance, the easiest way to save money when buying steaks is to get them at Costco, because items purchased in bulk are typically cheaper. However, it's unlikely you plan to use all of the steaks at once, or even throughout a single week, so it makes sense to divide them into reasonable portions before freezing them.

Freezing portion-divided proteins not only prevents food waste (which also saves you money), it makes it much easier to prepare meals during the week. Instead of worrying about how to use that enormous tray of ground beef, you can simply weigh out 1-pound portions, chuck them into individual freezer bags, and thaw them as needed to make burgers, meatballs, tacos, etc. Bonus points if you use your rolling pin to flatten bags of ground beef before freezing to save space in your freezer.

When using this hack, it's very important to make sure your meat is tightly sealed in freezer-safe packaging, such as Ziploc or vacuum-sealed freezer bags or freezer paper. It's also crucial to label each package with the type of meat and the date it was frozen, so you always know how fresh it is.

One of the best things about this hack is that you can use it for pretty much any protein — you can even freeze deli meat into individual portions to help it stay fresh longer. That means you can take advantage of bulk sales and stock up on plenty of cold cuts for when that sandwich craving hits. This is also a good way to save lunchmeat that might otherwise go to waste, provided it's still safe to eat when you freeze it.

To make things even more convenient, you can also include a marinade in the bag before freezing chicken, fish, pork, etc. The proteins won't marinate while frozen, but it saves you a step because they'll be infused with flavor after they thaw — all you have to do is leave them in the fridge for a little longer than you normally would so the marinade can do its magic. Homemade marinades work well for this, but it's also perfectly okay to use your favorite vinaigrette dressing or jarred marinade.

When thawing portions of frozen meat, it's crucial to plan ahead, as thawing them in the refrigerator is the safest, but slowest, method. Fortunately, portioning your proteins also means they require less time to thaw in the fridge, so packages weighing 1 pound or less should thaw completely overnight. Just be sure to place them next to each other instead of stacking them in a big pile, because shared cold could slow the thawing process.