Meat, especially beef, is one of the most popular food products worldwide. Humans eat billions of pounds of meat every year, but shocking statistics show that about 20 percent of all meat produced is never eaten.

In this article, we’ll show you how to refrigerate your beef so you can enjoy it longer, reduce food waste, and live a more sustainable life.

8 Tips for Refrigerating Beef

Do not pre-wash the beef.

Many people have a habit of taking the meat out of the packaging and washing it with water after they get home with their groceries. So should the meat be washed first or not?
Most experts recommend against it. Any bacteria that you think can be removed from it probably won’t affect the wash. They should be killed only when the meat is well-cooked.
In fact, depending on the quality of your tap water, washing beef can introduce new bacteria that can affect the flavor and shelf life of your meat.
If you plan to freeze beef, be sure to avoid washing it. If the meat is moist, it can suffer from freezer burn more easily.

Cut the beef into portions before storing.

The most dangerous thing in storing beef and any other meat is exposure to temperature changes. Constantly going from cold to hot and back again can help bacteria grow on the meat. Therefore, it is best not to take the meat out of the refrigerator until you have cooked it.

If you cut the meat into pieces or portions before refrigerating, you can remove the amount you need without affecting the rest. You can cook a small meal for yourself or part of the family, while keeping other meats fresh and tasty until you need them.

Quickly place the beef in the refrigerator.

If you’ve ever heard the term “cold chain,” you know what we’re talking about. In the professional storage and transport of food products such as meat, the product is kept cold at all times to prevent spoilage. You should follow the same rules when buying beef from the supermarket.

Don’t let fresh, cooked meat sit on the kitchen counter, or leave it in a hot car while you’re at work. Experts advise keeping the time between removing the meat from the supermarket fridge and placing it in the fridge to no longer than 1 or 2 hours.

Wrap the beef properly.

Packaging is extremely important when it comes to storing beef and other meats.
If you have purchased vacuum-packed meat, leave it in its packaging until you are ready to use it. Vacuum packing can greatly extend the shelf life of meat, so there’s no reason to open it.
For meat that is not vacuum packed, the rules are slightly different. When storing beef outside of its package in the refrigerator, you should place it in a container and cover it loosely with plastic wrap. To stop the beef from “sweating,” there should be some airflow around it.
If you are freezing your beef, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, being careful not to let too much air get in around the meat. This way, you can avoid freezer burn, which doesn’t spoil the meat, but can drastically change the flavor.

Track the “use by” dates on your beef.

This is especially important when freezing beef, but it’s also good practice when storing it in the refrigerator. Either write directly on the plastic wrap or use a sticky note to label the meat with the date it was purchased and/or the date it should be eaten.
That way, you won’t have to think about that piece of meat you discover months later in the freezer, peering through the plastic to see if it still looks fresh. You’ll know exactly how old it is and get a good idea if it’s still good. This is also a useful tip for storing vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator.

Once you remove the beef, do not put it back

This is another rule that is especially important for frozen meats, but as mentioned earlier, frequent temperature changes can help bacteria grow. Therefore, it is good to follow this rule for meat in the refrigerator, which has also been heated to room temperature.
Thawing and then refreezing meat can become a breeding ground for bacteria and is a sure way to spoil its quality. So make sure you only take the meat out of the freezer or refrigerator if you want to cook it.

Keep your fridge clean and organized

Hygiene is important to keep food fresh, be it meat, vegetables, or other food products. A dirty refrigerator provides ideal conditions for bacteria to grow and contaminate your food. Contamination can also occur when cooked and raw meat are kept close together.
Make sure you give your fridge a deep clean every 3 or 4 months and a light clean once a week. Find our helpful tips on how to properly clean your fridge here.
We recommend that you store your fresh, raw meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, which usually offers the ideal temperature. Make sure you keep cooked meat and any hot food you refrigerate away from raw beef.

How long can beef be refrigerated?

Different cuts of beef depend on different factors, such as the method of preparation
With TasteSeal technology, your beef can be kept fresh for up to 7 days in Electrolux refrigerators.

Beef can be kept fresh for much longer periods of time in the freezer. Keep in mind that the freezer should be kept at or below -18°C.

Check out some of our top sellers below if you’re shopping for a new refrigerator. Your beef can even stay fresh in Electrolux refrigerators for up to 7 days thanks to TasteSeal technology.