Instructions for storing beef in the refrigerator

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that each year about 48 million people get sick from food poisoning. Safely storing and handling food at home is something you can do. Here are instructions on how to store beef in the refrigerator.

For most undercooked beef cuts, you can freeze them for several months without loss of quality. You can keep your cuts of meat like a barbecue, freezing them for a period of 4 to 12 months; for steak it's 6 to 12 months. With ground beef, you should freeze them for no more than 3 to 4 months.
For cooked beef, you can also safely freeze leftovers. But the FDA recommends that you only keep them frozen for about 2 to 3 months. The freezing time may be longer, but the quality of the meat may be altered.

To prevent cross-contamination from taking place in the grocery cart or in the refrigerator, always place raw beef in a plastic bag to keep water from leaking or dripping onto other foods.

Place raw beef in the freezer on ice if it's been longer than 1 hour. This is especially important during warm weather. Raw beef should be served in a bowl or on a plate in the bottom of the refrigerator. The refrigerator must be set to 40°F (about 4.5°C) or less. Store whole fresh beef cuts for three to five days in the refrigerator. Ground beef and various meats such as liver, kidney, and tongue can be kept fresh for one to two days in the refrigerator. Use or freeze products with a sell-by date of three to five days from the date of purchase. Use cooked beef that has been safely refrigerated within three to four days. Always wash cutting boards, utensils, and surfaces that have touched raw beef with hot, soapy water and then clean with 1 tablespoon of regular bleach in 1 quart of warm water. Meat should not be washed before cooking as this can cause cross-contamination and spread when bacteria in raw meat are transferred to other foods and utensils.

Always defrost meat in the refrigerator in the microwave or in cold water. It is best to let meat defrost slowly and safely in the refrigerator. Small pieces of meat can be defrosted within one to two days. Large cuts of meat will take longer, about a day for every 5 pounds of weight. You should use defrosted beef within four days. When defrosting meat in the microwave, you must cook it immediately after defrosting because certain areas of the meat can become hot when placed in the microwave. For quick defrosting, place food in a leak-proof plastic bag and submerge it in cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes to make sure it stays cold. After defrosting, cook immediately. Beef can be cooked while it is still frozen, but cooking that way will take longer.

References: healthline.com, canr.msu.edu