Sunday, December 18, 2011

Hermetically sealed meat, repeatedly frozen and thawed. More tenderized than once-frozen/thawed?

You got a really good question going here. The problem is that repeated cooking and thawing can actually cook the meat. I worked at a large chain restaurant (won't mention the name). They "flash thawed" twenty pound blocks of chicken all frozen together in a lump. The outside of the meat was literally cooked. You could not differentiate the texture of the meat from meat that had been broiled or sauteed. The danger of this is that you are breaking down or "lising" cells. Some of the cells that are not actually cooked but are weakened in this way become invasion sites for bacteria. I know that yours are cryovacced and should be OK if cooked IMMEDIATELY. But if left out for even a few minutes after opening will be subject to bacteria, many of which are airborne. I have a lot of restaurant experience and have cooked for large groups. For better and more detailed info contact your local agricultural extension. They have detailed information on this subject. Thanks.

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