Homemade hamburgers are always best because you control the ingredients and can ensure the freshest and juiciest burgers ever. But making fresh hamburgers for each occasion can be time-consuming. Therefore, you might want to freeze your hamburgers. However, can you freeze raw hamburgers with eggs in them?
Freezing raw meat and eggs below 18°F kills inhibits any bacteria from growing that can make you sick. Therefore, you can freeze raw hamburger with egg, provided the hamburger was never left out or exposed to the sun. Once frozen, raw hamburgers can last up to six months in the freezer.
When freezing hamburgers, there are specific guidelines you should follow. This article discusses how to freeze raw hamburgers with eggs in them. We’ll also discuss how to defrost and cook raw hamburgers with eggs and the advantages of freezing raw hamburgers with eggs in them.
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Is It Safe To Freeze Raw Hamburgers With Egg In Them?
Homemade hamburgers are delicious and will impress even the most critical guests. Making a big batch of hamburgers and freezing some will save you time and effort. It also allows you to eat homemade hamburgers whenever you want to.
However, some hamburger recipes contain eggs, which might make you wonder if you can freeze these hamburgers.
Hamburgers that need eggs are often made using lean beef, turkey, or vegetarian options such as beans or chickpeas. Eggs help bind the ingredients together and prevent the hamburger from crumbling when you cook them. However, some regular beef hamburgers also contain eggs to help them bind.
Fortunately, regardless of the type of burger, you can freeze it if it contains eggs. Because the freezer inhibits the growth of bacteria, you can rest assured that it’s safe to freeze raw hamburgers with eggs in them. However, there are some guidelines for doing so.
Before Freezing the Hamburger With Eggs
First, don’t allow the eggs or meat to stand out when working with it. The eggs or ground meat can start to go bad during this time, especially if left out in the sun.
Ensure all the hamburger ingredients remain cold while making the burgers and before you freeze them.
Second, never refreeze defrosted beef. During the defrosting process, the beef can be exposed to some bacteria that can make you sick. If the eggs get exposed to this bacterium, it can be a life-threatening concern.
Therefore, only use fresh ground beef (that you preferably bought the same day from a reputable butcher) when making hamburgers for freezing.
Finally, use fresh eggs when making hamburgers for freezing. Check if there are any cracked eggs when you remove them from the carton and toss any eggs that smell funny or are broken.
Adding rotten eggs to your hamburgers can make you severely ill, and freezing will not make the hamburgers safe if the eggs are spoilt.
With these tips, you can safely proceed to make your hamburgers for freezing. If your ingredients are fresh and cold, there is no reason to fear adding eggs to raw hamburgers you intend to freeze. However, if you feel uncomfortable, you can substitute the eggs for flax eggs or unflavored gelatin.
When you have made your hamburgers and kept them cold, it is now time to freeze them. Unfortunately, you cannot just dump them into a freezer bag and stuff them in the freezer. There are specific steps to freezing raw hamburgers with eggs, which we will discuss in the following section.
How To Freeze Raw Hamburger With Egg In It
Now that you know it’s perfectly safe to freeze raw hamburger with egg in it, we can discuss how you would do so. Freezing raw hamburgers is a straightforward process, but following these steps will make the entire experience more convenient and user-friendly. So, this is how to freeze raw hamburgers with eggs in them.
Step 1: Gather All The Supplies
To freeze raw hamburger with egg, you will need a few things. The first thing you will need is a baking tray. You can also use a tray if it doesn’t crack in the freezer.
You will also need some cling wrap or baking paper to place below and on top of each hamburger. We recommend using recyclable baking paper because cling wrap contributes to unnecessary plastic pollution.
You will also need a freezer, of course. The freezer should have enough space to fit the baking tray for a short while. Set the freezer to at least -18°F to freeze the hamburgers perfectly.
Then, you will also need a freezer bag to store the hamburgers in once they are frozen. Use a bag that you can write on. Of course, a reusable freezer bag is also best, but any freezer bag will do.
All the equipment should be clean and sterilized to prevent contaminating the hamburgers while you are freezing them.
Step 2: Freeze The Hamburgers
Before storing the hamburgers in the freezer, you must first freeze them in a single layer to prevent them from sticking to each other. Next, place cling wrap or baking paper on the baking tray and pack the hamburgers in a single layer. The hamburgers shouldn’t touch each other at all, or they will stick.
Place another piece of baking paper over the hamburgers. You can now either place another layer of hamburgers or freeze the hamburgers in a single layer. We recommend the latter as it helps to keep the hamburger’s shape.
Place the baking tray in the freezer for at least four hours or until the hamburgers are frozen.
Step 3: Pack The Hamburgers For Storage
You can remove the hamburgers from the baking tray when they are frozen. Wrap each hamburger in cling wrap or place it between two layers of baking paper. Then, put the hamburgers in a freezer bag and write the date on the bag.
Doing so will let you know how long ago you made this batch of hamburgers and will indicate how long they will keep. Although frozen foods can keep indefinitely in the freezer, hamburgers are best used within six months of freezing.
You can now place the freezer bag in the freezer, and you will have homemade hamburgers for months to come.
What Type of Freezer to Use?
Unless you’re buying hamburger patties on sale and freezing them in bulk, the refrigerator in your kitchen is fine. I personally invested in a freezer chest that allows me to purchase chicken, beef, steaks, etc whenever I see it on sale.
- Mechanical Control with Adjustable Thermostat from -12 to -28 Degrees (Great for Storing Frozen Food, Ice Cream, Ice, etc.)
- Contains 1 Hanging Wire Storage Basket
- Hinge-Style Door Remains Open from 45 to 75 Degree Angles
- External Product Dimensions: 32. 1 X 21. 7 X 33. 5(inch)
- Full 1-Year/ Compressor 2-Year
This allows me to buy meat in bulk so I can have homemade burgers on hand.
Note: According to FoodSafety.gov, store hamburger, ground poultry and ground meats at 40°F or below.
How To Cook Frozen Hamburgers With Egg In Them
Remove them from the freezer when you are ready to cook the hamburgers. Only remove the number of hamburgers you wish to cook as you cannot refreeze them once defrosted.
If you have thin hamburgers or your hamburgers are made from lean beef or turkey, you can cook them from frozen without defrosting them. Doing so will allow the hamburger to cook slower and retain more moisture. This reduces the chances of having dry hamburgers.
Otherwise, you can defrost the hamburgers slowly by leaving them out. Ensure they are in a cool, dark place while they defrost.
Ultimately, defrosting hamburgers in the refrigerator will ensure the best result because the hamburgers will retain their moisture. Then, once the burgers have time to defrost, cook them as usual and enjoy!
Final Word
It is perfectly safe to freeze raw hamburgers with eggs in them, as long as the eggs or meat are never exposed to heat.
First, freeze the hamburgers in a single layer on a baking tray. Then, transfer the hamburgers to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to six months.
You can cook the hamburgers from frozen or defrost them slowly before cooking them. Once defrosted, you can prepare them as you always do.
Making a big batch of hamburgers and freezing some is a convenient way to always have homemade hamburgers on hand.
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Sources
https://www.cheftalk.com/threads/freezing-burgers-made-with-eggs.54482/