active) packaging has arrived and we’ll see more and more of it. In such a package an inert gas

replaces air thus eliminate the harmful oxygen. They also call this "modified atmosphere"

packaging. Another high-tech packaging technique is to wrap meat in material that absorbs

oxygen or add small packets of chemicals in the package that suck it up. Packers may include

biosensors that change color when the contents of the package is no longer safe, signaling either

decomposition or a too-high bacteria count.

To slow down oxidation at home, wrap meat tightly in either heavy-weight plastic wrap

or aluminum foil to store. They are both impermeable to oxygen, but the brands commonly

available for household use are not particularly strong. Double-wrapped waxed butcher paper is

strong, therefore good to use if you can find a ready source for it. You can combine butcher

paper and another wrap for a double protection. We cannot reproduce the efficient commercial

wrapping material which contains three or four layers of laminations that complement each

other, each with a useful protecting characteristic. One for strength, another to be imperviousness

to moisture and oxygen, and still another with a high degree of cling. Unfortunately, they are too

costly for widespread retail use and they are unavailable to home cooks.

Freezing and thawing

Even though freezing is the best way to keep fresh meat wholesome over long periods of

time, there are good ways to freeze and better ways to freeze. You always damage meat when

you freeze it. As crystals of ice grow inside the tissue, their sharp points puncture the meat’s cell

walls. This damage is apparent as soon as you defrost the meat as you see a puddle that leaks out

of these damaged cells. More moisture continues to leak out when you cook the meat eventually

losing so much that the meat turns dry. But you can reduce freezing damage.

Slow freezing produces a smaller number of large, slow-growing ice crystals, while fast

freezing is so fast that only numerous tiny crystals form. Small crystals do small damage to cells,

and the defrosted meat has little moisture loss. For this reason meat packers freeze meat as

quickly as possible. First they blast the meat with very cold air to reduce its temperature to 25°F

(

-4°C) within 80 to 120 minutes. How fast the temperature drops after that doesn't matter

because the ice crystals have already formed and they remain small.

This quick rate of freezing is not possible at home, but you can imitate it. Freeze meat in

a single layer on a metal baking sheet, leaving the pieces unwrapped and not touching to speed

up the freezing process. Once they are frozen, consolidate them into one or several packages,

wrapped tightly with as little air included as possible. The pieces don't all stick together when

you individually freeze them like this, so when ready to defrost, you can take only what you need

without defrosting the whole package.

You can also ice-glaze smaller pieces of meat before storing them in your freezer, a

process that is as good as vacuum packaging. First freeze the individual unwrapped pieces as I

suggested above. When frozen solid, dip each piece into ice water for just a few seconds till a

thin glaze of ice covers the surface, then return it to freezer for a few minutes. Repeat the process

several times to build a layer of glaze around the meat, then wrap it tightly. The ice glaze seals in

moisture and keeps out oxygen. Food scientists have actually stored meat for six years under

similar conditions with no detectable deterioration. They probably could have stored it much

longer but they ran out of patience.

The highest quality frozen meat comes from cryogenic freezing. They immerse the meat

in extremely cold liquified gases (liquid nitrogen or nitrous oxide). The meat freezes so rapidly

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