Keep your catch fresh: proper preservation is essential, because bacteria and freezer burn can ruin stored meat in a matter of days. Here's how best to keep your meat, based on when you plan on eating it

TODAY. As soon as you get home, get the meat into the fridge. Put it on a plate or in a bowl to catch any errant juices, and place it on the bottom shelf of the fridge. That way, if the package leaks, you won't get raw-meat juice on the foods below.

SOON, BUT SOMEWHERE ELSE. If your steak is heading out in a cooler, pack it in a freezer bag and put it directly on top of a layer of ice. Put ready-to-eat foods in a separate cooler, and don't let anyone use the "meat cooler" ice in their drinks. Only remove as much meat from the cooler as will fit on the grill at one time--leave the rest to chill.

LATER. Ground beef safely keeps in the fridge for only two to three days; steaks can sit around for three to five. To freeze steaks, wrap each individually in plastic wrap, butcher paper, or wax paper, then put the whole lot in a freezer bag. (The same goes for ground beef--wrap the whole hunk, then put it in a freezer bag.) This prevents the air from reaching the surface of the meat and triggering freezer burn.

WHEN YOU'RE READY TO USE THE FROZEN MEAT, plan ahead: Start defrosting the day before, and always in the fridge--never in the microwave or a bowl of hot water, says Purviance. "When you freeze a steak, water inside it crystallizes," he says. "If you thaw it too quickly, the water will run out instead of reabsorbing into the meat, so you'll end up with a dry steak."

COPYRIGHT 2006 Weider Publications
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