No More Freezer Burn

When I go shopping, I always check the meat case to see if there are any markdowns.  When an item is getting close to it's Sell By date, the store will usually mark it down to encourage customers to buy it.  Walmart makes them really easy to spot with bright yellow stickers.

Buying this marked-down meat is a good way to save money.  The key is to use it or freeze it by the date on the package.  I usually buy several packages when I can get a good deal - whether it's chicken breasts, steaks, hamburger, or anything else I normally use.  Then the next day I break the large packages down and freeze them in single-use packages, usually in zipper bags, like in this post - Freezing Hamburger.

It wasn't until recently that I found a great way to avoid freezer burn - which happens when you freeze a lot of stuff and don't use it in a timely manner.  It's so simple, I can't believe I didn't think of it myself!  I was thinking maybe I needed one of those Vacuum-Sealing Systems - and one of these would be nice.  But, I was talking to the man who works in the meat department, and he suggested wrapping individual pieces of meat in plastic wrap and then putting them into the zipper bags.

Individually wrapped steaks in my freezer

Wrapping serves two purposes - the plastic wrap protects the steaks from freezer burn, should I not use them right away, and it's so easy to pull out just the number of steaks I need - even though they're all in the same zipper bag.  You know those individually frozen chicken breasts you can buy in the store?  Yes, I buy those too, but if I find a great deal on chicken breasts in the meat department, I can individually freeze my own now!

Also, a note: the best plastic wrap I have ever tried is the Great Value Premium Wrap - Professional Strength you can buy at Walmart.  I never even liked plastic wrap before I tried this stuff.  Seriously, it's great!