How to Cook a Frozen Hunk of Beef

Last Updated on May 7, 2021

In this guide, nosotros'll walk y'all through two simple methods for cooking frozen footing beef: on the stovetop and in an Instant Pot. We'll also include tips along the fashion, and no-fuss recipes you can easily accommodate to use frozen ground beef. With these pointers, you'll be able to plow frozen blocks of meat into succulent ground beef recipes every time!

If you lot're like us, you likely keep packages of ground beef on hand for last-minute dinners. Ground beef is the perfect staple because it'south versatile and easy to cook even straight from the freezer. You can also get dinner on the table in no time, and who doesn't love that?

iv Tips for Cooking Frozen Ground Beef

1. Cistron in a little extra cooking time.

Whenever you melt food straight from the freezer, yous should expect it to have roughly 50% longer than it would if it were fresh or defrosted. That'south the full general rule of thumb.

As you'll notice in our cooking instructions below, cooking frozen ground beef can still be relatively fast. We're talking, dinner on the table in under 30 minutes in a lot of cases—that'due south not bad for a solid brick of meat you lot simply took out of the freezer.

2. Season subsequently y'all've cooked your frozen footing beef.

When the ground beef is frozen solid, seasonings and sauces won't adhere as well. So, be sure to wait to add your favorite pasta sauce or taco seasoning until yous've cooked the frozen basis beef. We hope, it will sense of taste merely as practiced.

iii. Don't worry virtually texture.

One of the biggest concerns we hear about cooking ground beef from frozen is the texture. Nosotros go that—it certainly doesn't wait as pretty during the cooking process as fresh ground beef.

Fortunately, we've found that frozen ground beef is very forgiving. Whether it's cooked up on the stovetop or steamed in the Instant Pot, information technology turns out juicy, pliable, and tender. Information technology blends beautifully into whatever dish, too.

iv. Melt to an internal temperature of 160°F.

Non sure if your ground beef is done? Ground beef should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F as measured by a food thermometer. It should also be brown all the way through (no pink spots) and hot throughout.

Ii Simple Recipes To Cook Basis Beefiness From Frozen

The central to cooking ground beef straight from the freezer is to make certain you cook it at adequately loftier temperatures. This ways keeping it out of the "danger zone"—the temperature range of forty°F to 140°F, where bacteria grow most rapidly.

Then, slow cooking frozen footing beef is out, but nearly every other cooking method is off-white game. Our favorite methods use the stovetop and Instant Pot as these are some of the quickest and easiest ways to cook ground beef.

Stovetop

Ready in 15 minutes, the stovetop technique is likely one you've tried in the past. Our method may be a little different than what you're used to every bit we slowly chip away at the meat throughout the cooking process. Watch us cook ground beef from frozen or follow the instructions below:

1. Preheat your skillet on medium heat.
2. Add your favorite cooking oil (olive and avocado oil are cracking options).
3. Identify one pound of frozen basis beef in the skillet. Sear for iv minutes, then flip the block and scrape the cooked beef off with tongs or a wooden spoon. Keep this process of searing, flipping, and scraping until the cake is small enough to chop into pieces.
4. Add your seasonings or sauces, and bask!

Instant Pot

The Instant Pot method takes a trivial longer than cooking over stovetop, but the benefit here is that yous can set it and forget it until you're set up to dive into some delicious ground beef. Hither'southward how to become perfectly cooked ground beef:

1. Pour ane cup of water into your Instant Pot.
2. Identify your trivet within the Instant Pot. Lay one pound of frozen ground beefiness on the trivet.
3. Set up the knob to sealing. Gear up your Instant Pot to Manual/High Pressure to 20 minutes.
4. Let the Instant Pot to practise a natural release for five to 10 minutes.
5. Release any remaining pressure, drain the water, and season/flavor your ground beef as desired.

4 Ground Beef Recipes to Add to Your Collection

Looking to add a few new recipes to your dinner rotation? Endeavour out these variations of classic dishes or let them inspire you lot to whip up something new using ground beef.

Fennel Bolognese

This Fennel Bolognese recipe is a simple, weeknight-friendly take on an Italian classic. Information technology calls for fennel, oregano, and a ready-made tomato plant basil sauce to continue things simple. It'due south a nifty place to use frozen basis beef if you lot've forgotten to thaw annihilation out, too.

To adapt this recipe to utilize frozen basis beef, just prepare your frozen footing beef on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Sauté your veggies, so add your cooked ground beefiness, and remaining flavorings and sauce. It'southward that like shooting fish in a barrel!

Serve this delicious bolognese sauce atop your favorite pasta or veggie noodles for comfort in a bowl.

Eggplant Sloppy Joes

Here's a meal that channels nostalgic flavors with a grown-up, low-carb twist. These Eggplant Sloppy Joes feature all the sweetness and savory notes of the classic dish, with beautifully charred eggplant rounds for buns.

The classic Sloppy Joe sauce comes together with tomato sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, dry out mustard, garlic powder, and beloved. It's the perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and savory.

If yous're using frozen footing beefiness, go ahead and cook up your footing beef beginning on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Then, sauté your veggies and add together your cooked ground beef. Add your sauce ingredients, simmer, and get working on your eggplant "buns."

Quick Beefiness and Kidney Bean Chili

Great chili doesn't take to take all day. With this Quick Beefiness and Kidney Edible bean Chili, y'all'll get rib-sticking delicious chili in just 45 minutes!

While easy, this chili doesn't skimp on the flavour, with notes from poblano pepper, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. A melange of kidney beans, tomatoes, and, of form, ground beef, add together heft.

This recipe is uncomplicated to start with frozen ground beef. Melt your frozen ground beef on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Adjacent, sauté your veggies in a Dutch oven. Add the ground beef, all the flavorings and accoutrements, and let information technology simmer for xxx minutes.

Gluten-Free Beefy Mac n' Cheese

This Gluten-Free Beefy Mac due north' Cheese is a crowd pleaser of a meal if we ever saw i. It's too the perfect vehicle for cooking up ground beef straight from the freezer.

This mac due north' cheese makes some smart swaps to keep things gluten-free, similar tapioca flour for the roux and gluten-gratis elbow noodles. Y'all'll also discover mildly nutty Swiss cheese as the base of the sauce, but yous tin can utilize but about any melty cheese you'd like.

To make this recipe using frozen ground beef, prepare your ground beefiness using the stovetop or Instant Pot method. Make your noodles. Sauté some onions, add together the ground beef, and gear up the mixture aside. From there, proceed with making the cheese sauce, and combine everything in one dish. Information technology's indulgent and delicious.

Courtney Hamilton

Courtney Hamilton is a author and editor with over seven years' experience in journalism, blogging, communications, and other media. She has written for publications like PaleoHacks, PaleoPlan, The Center for American Progress, OC Weekly, and more.

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Source: https://justcook.butcherbox.com/how-to-cook-frozen-ground-beef/