Have plenty of leftover vacation ham, and questioning if you happen to can freeze a few of it to get pleasure from later? What if the ham hasn’t been cooked but? Can it return within the freezer? The reply to each is sure. It is completely secure to refreeze ham (each cooked or raw), so long as it was thawed within the fridge (Different strategies of thawing aren’t advisable). Here is what it is advisable to know to get good outcomes.
Freeze and Refreeze
For security functions, ham needs to be refrozen inside three days of thawing. There could also be a slight change in high quality because of the moisture misplaced throughout thawing, which may have an effect on the feel of your defrosted meat. Don’t refreeze ham that is been left outdoors the fridge longer than two hours. Ensure that the meat is packaged correctly, so it does not get freezer-burned.
You probably have quite a lot of ham to freeze, take into consideration dividing it into smaller parts earlier than you stick it within the freezer. It can help you pull out particular person packages, with out having to thaw out the entire ham.
Thawing
To make use of your ham after it has been frozen (or refrozen), take away the bundle of frozen ham from the freezer, and permit it to defrost within the fridge. Relying on the dimensions, it ought to thaw utterly in about 24 to 48 hours. In case you’re coping with a smaller portion, or must thaw it out sooner, there are some tips that may thaw your ham in as little as half-hour.
Do not Overlook the Ham Bone
Make sure you freeze the ham bone, whilst you’re at it. It may be used to make a scrumptious pot of soup or broth. Simply be warned: When you style ham broth, you could by no means accept hen broth once more.
Makes use of for Leftovers
Think about using your ham to make completed meals you could freeze for later. Ham soup and quiche are easy to make, they usually each freeze fantastically. While you’re brief on time, having ready-made meals you could pull out and reheat is an actual luxurious.
In case you do not need to spend a bunch of time cooking now, think about chopping some—or all—of your ham earlier than you freeze it. It can make it straightforward so as to add to pasta dishes, casseroles, and soups. So long as you utilize it in a dish that might be heated, you do not even need to thaw it first.
Sustain With What’s in Your Freezer
Make sure you label and date your ham earlier than you set it within the freezer, so you do not lose monitor of it. Frozen ham will hold indefinitely, however is finest used inside a 12 months.
The USDA Protected Meals Dealing with web site has quite a lot of helpful info.