Author Topic: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer  (Read 3772 times)

Offline fishermanwife

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Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« on: September 11, 2013, 08:20:38 PM »

If you buy hamburger meat in bulk and cook it to freeze in 1lb per bag do you weigh it raw or after its cooked?
I bought hamburger on one of those 5/25 deals and thought it was a good deal but after I cooked and drained it I got less cooked 1lb packages so each cooked package came to $4.09 and I can buy better grade hamburger for that.
Norma in Southeast Oklahoma. Wife to Steven, mommy to Abby 16, Keagan 14, Trenten 10, Ollie 7.

Offline Shelly

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #1 on: September 11, 2013, 08:42:30 PM »
I usually weigh it raw and then depending on how much room I have in the freezer I pack it into jars.  If I don't have much room, I pack it in freezer bags and rolls them flat with a rolling pin (zip mostly closed first and then when all air is out, zip it the final inch or so.)

I tend to weigh it to just a few ounces under a pound.  We don't notice it's less and it stretches the package further.

ETA: I usually stick with low fat beef so that I don't lose all the weight to drained fat when cooking.  The fat i do drain off, I render for soap.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2013, 08:43:38 PM by Shelly »
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Offline Trudy in TN

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2013, 06:01:02 AM »
I usually weight it raw also and then I tend to freeze it raw.  I have cooked some and froze it.  I would have five bags (for 5 lbs of meat) and divide it up accordingly.  I have been dividing a 5 pound chub into 6 pieces recently as we are trying to cut back on meat.  Dh hasn't missed it yet.
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Offline Cheryl

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2013, 06:14:34 AM »
I also weigh it raw and freeze it raw.  Lately with the price of meat being so high, I've started using 1/2 to 3/4 lb. in place of a full pound in recipes.  Nobody around here has noticed.   :)
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Offline fishermanwife

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2013, 06:56:32 AM »
Shelly that's what I was thinking at over $4 a pack in my freezer I could buy low fat content beef and not have to drain all the weight away and many other benefits too. We usually double most recipes already so I use one 1lb bag instead of 2. It just upset me that I didn't realize how much weight I was draining off and if I would of bought better meat I would of gotten probably 3 extra bags in the freezer.
Norma in Southeast Oklahoma. Wife to Steven, mommy to Abby 16, Keagan 14, Trenten 10, Ollie 7.

Offline MoWin

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2013, 08:09:03 AM »
I too measure it raw and usually freeze it raw. I try to buy extra when they have the 93% lean on sale.  The best sale I have found lately is $2.49 a pound. For 93% lean in this day and age, that is a good deal around here.

 I cooked 2 pounds up a while ago and divided it into 3 different dishes. I made stuffed peppers and used about 1/2 lb of burger with quinoa instead of rice. I just added some diced tomatoes and just a bit of cheese. It was really good. I also made up some spaghetti sauce and froze that with burger in it. It makes it nice to have spaghetti sauce ready when we need it.  ;)

So I think cutting back on the meat is the norm any more. Meat is so expensive and health wise, we don't need as much of it.  :D

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Offline Andrea G

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #6 on: September 12, 2013, 09:14:17 AM »
We buy beef by the side but oddly the ground is the first to go, so then I buy the large packages at Costco.  If I plan to make meatloaf I will freeze it raw.  I don't even weigh it, I just eyeball it and package what looks right. Other than that I cook it in water, which takes most of the fat away, then put it into freezer bags.  I love the convenience of having it already cooked and ready to add to spaghetti sauce or whatever, or I can just add seasoning for tacos. The water that I used to cook it could be used for broth if I took the fat out, but usually I just pour it over the dogs' food.  :)
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Offline fishermanwife

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #7 on: September 12, 2013, 09:25:33 AM »
Geez just the 1lb chub of 73/27 gb at walmart the other day was 3.08, wish I could find a better price but theres so much demand around here I cant find very many good sales and never any clearance meat like before we moved.
Norma in Southeast Oklahoma. Wife to Steven, mommy to Abby 16, Keagan 14, Trenten 10, Ollie 7.

Offline Leahsgarden

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2013, 10:04:44 AM »
We actually have been "splurging" on organic ground beef at Costco... paying about $4.50/pound. Sounds like we're not really splurging after all!
...Leah
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Offline mom of 2 boys

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #9 on: September 15, 2013, 08:19:06 PM »
I weigh ours raw and use the food saver to keep it in the freezer.

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Offline Molly

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #10 on: September 15, 2013, 08:48:36 PM »
Andrea - we also buy beef by the side.  We use so much ground beef that I have been having the butcher grind more of it than usual.  I just get the best roasts and steaks and grind the rest.  I really don't like arm roasts, etc that yield so little meat once it's cooked. Also do less stew meat and more ground. Ours is ready to be picked up now but my freezers are full of berries so need to make some jam to make room.

Molly
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Offline Leahsgarden

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #11 on: September 15, 2013, 08:51:23 PM »
Ours is ready to be picked up now but my freezers are full of berries so need to make some jam to make room.

Molly

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...Leah
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Offline Andrea G

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Re: Dividing and cooking hamburger for the freezer
« Reply #12 on: September 16, 2013, 09:51:35 AM »
Andrea - we also buy beef by the side.  We use so much ground beef that I have been having the butcher grind more of it than usual.  I just get the best roasts and steaks and grind the rest.  I really don't like arm roasts, etc that yield so little meat once it's cooked. Also do less stew meat and more ground. Ours is ready to be picked up now but my freezers are full of berries so need to make some jam to make room.

Molly

We use ground beef more than anything too.  Usually the steaks last the longest.  We joke that we must be poor when all there is is steak  ;D
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