Tips for freezing burger patties
Burgers are a popular party food, especially in BBQ season. In addition to meat burgers, vegetarian and vegan alternatives are also on the rise. But how can you freeze the burger patties that you buy or make? What do you need to know about defrosting your patties, and what is their shelf life? In this article, we will be answering all of these questions and more, so that you can start stocking up for your next BBQ right away.
The key points
- Frozen burger patties stay fresh for three months.
- You can freeze both raw and pre-cooked burger patties.
- Freeze your burger patties side by side rather than stacked to prevent them from sticking together.
- To avoid freezer burn, ensure the burger patties are in an airtight bag or container.
- Burger patties should be slowly defrosted overnight in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freezing burger patties
Do you not manage to eat all of your homemade or purchased burgers straight away? Then maybe you should consider freezing them. In your freezer, the patties will stay fresh for three months. This helps you avoid food waste.
You can freeze both raw and pre-cooked burger patties.
To prevent your burger patties from sticking together when you freeze them, place each patty on a cut piece of baking paper. Alternatively, you can freeze the patties separately on a small tray before storing them away.
This allows the patties to be easily stacked on top of each other in an airtight freezer bag or container for the rest of their time in the freezer at -18 °C.
By removing any air from the bag or container, you can avoid freezer burn on the patties. Freezer burn not only makes the burgers look less appealing, but can also affect consistency.
Brief overview of defrosting burger patties:
- Burger patties should be slowly defrosted overnight in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- In a pan or on the grill, burger patties should be defrosted slowly and at a low temperature.
- Vegan burger patties can also be cooked from frozen in a pan on a low-medium heat setting or placed directly on the grill.
- The defrosting function on your microwave can help to speed up the defrosting process. For this, it should be operating at 90 to 180 watts.
Defrosting burger patties
Defrosting burger patties is a quick way to enjoy a hearty meal.
But beware if you put frozen meat patties directly onto the pan or grill, this can cause the heat to spread unevenly and leave the patty raw in some spots without you noticing.
That is why it is recommended to slowly thaw burger patties in the pan and on the grill at a low temperature.
Frozen vegan burger patties can be cooked directly from frozen in a pan on a low-medium setting with sufficiently hot cooking oil.
A good alternative is to let the patties defrost slowly in the refrigerator. It is best to let your burger patties thaw overnight.
If you want to speed up this process, you can use the “defrost” function on your microwave. If your microwave does not have this function, make sure that you set the microwave between 90 and 180 watts.
Generally speaking, You should cook the patties all the way through. Once defrosted, burger patties should not be re-frozen. This is because they have already been in contact with microbial germs, which can survive even in sub-zero temperatures.
Shelf life of burger patties in the refrigerator
In the coldest part of your refrigerator, burger patties made from minced meat will stay fresh for up to 24 hours. That is why you should eat your burger patties on the day you buy or make them.
In the BioFresh Meat & Dairy safe from Liebherr, the patties can be stored at just over 0 °C for up to 48 hours. This means that you can also enjoy them the day after you buy them.
When buying minced beef or pork, it is important that you adhere to the cold chain and practice strict kitchen hygiene when you cook with it. See our article on how to freeze minced meat and store it in the refrigerator for more detailed tips.
Freshly prepared burger patties made with minced meat should be fried the same day and eaten or frozen.
Vegan burger patties can be stored in your BioFresh Meat & Diary safe at just above 0 degrees and low humidity for four days in an airtight container.
Frozen burger patties stay fresh for three months.
Vegan burger patties can also be stored for up to three months.
Make your own vegan burger patties
Vegan burger patties are easy to make at home and can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days. You won’t need much for this recipe:
- 1. Choose your ingredients: choose a base of potatoes, legumes (red lentils, black beans, kidney beans), rice, spelt grain, couscous, quinoa or buckwheat.
- 2. Add some flavor to create to smoky, spicy burger patties: use dark beans. Add smoked salt or smoked paprika powder, chili flakes, marjoram, oregano, garlic powder, mustard, tomato paste and fried onions.
- 3. Refine the texture: rice and potatoes give a firmer structure. Alternatively, you can use cereal flour, chickpea flour, oats or a vegan flax-seed egg substitute for a binding effect.
- 4. Crisp them up: use breadcrumbs made from bread or rolls nearing the end of their shelf life to make the patty crispier.
- 5. Shaping and storing the burger patties: shape the mixture into patties and store them in the refrigerator for up to three days if necessary.
In no time at all, you can conjure up a meatless alternative that is sure to impress the next time you host a BBQ.
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