8 Mistakes Everyone Makes Storing Ground Beef

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Ground beef is a versatile meat many people keep in their fridge because it features heavily in various popular dishes. For example, it's the primary ingredient in classic meatloaf and the starring element in professionally-made smash burgers. Although it's a common ingredient you've probably kept stocked in your home for years (if not decades), my 15+ years in the food industry have taught me ground beef is also misunderstood. Namely, there are several mistakes home chefs make when storing this meat.

Proper ground beef storage helps maintain the meat's taste, texture, and overall integrity. It also helps keep your family safe because improper handling and storage of meats, including ground beef, can lead to an increased risk of foodborne illnesses. Thankfully, it's never too late to learn best practices so you can implement them moving forward. To help, I've used my expertise to create this list of eight mistakes everyone makes when storing ground beef and provided details on what you should do instead.

In most cases, you shouldn't leave ground beef at room temperature for more than two hours — this includes if the meat starts as frozen. However, if the temperatures are 90 degrees Fahrenheit or above, one hour at room temperature is the absolute limit. Of course, during my time working in restaurants, we were trained to play it safe and never left ground beef or any other meat out on the counter. Instead, we defrosted our meat in the refrigerator and only pulled it out when ready to use it. In a pinch, you can use cold water to thaw meat, but I personally only do this if the ground beef will be ready to cook in an hour or less.

Thawing in the refrigerator instead of on the counter or in the sink is safer because it keeps beef from falling into the "danger zone." The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines the "danger zone" as the temperature range between 40 and 140 Fahrenheit where bacteria is able to rapidly multiply. The bacteria that grows in these conditions can lead to foodborne illnesses, like botulism, E. coli infection, listeriosis, and salmonellosis. These illnesses can be mild or severe and most often cause digestive symptoms, but can also cause fever, muscle aches, and kidney failure.

Storing ground beef in the refrigerator is a safe short-term option, but it's not a long-term solution. Raw ground beef can remain in the fridge for about two days, which should be enough time to let it defrost while remaining below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This is also an option if you purchase refrigerated beef at the store (not frozen) and plan to use it the following day.

Once ground beef is cooked, it can stay in the fridge for three to four days if proper food handling protocols are followed. Most importantly, this means it was placed in the fridge immediately after cooking. Despite popular belief to the contrary, you shouldn't allow prepared foods to cool on the counter before refrigerating. Other best practices include disinfecting your work area and frequently washing your hands during cooking. Personally, I wash my hands before cooking, after touching raw meat, between handling raw and cooked ingredients, and after I'm finished cooking. (A lot of hand washing is important, but can dry out your skin. I recommend keeping Gold Bond Healing Hand Cream beside your soap in the kitchen to help mitigate this.) Finally, avoid using the same utensils on raw and cooked foods — the utensils used for cooking food shouldn't be the same you serve the meal with.

Proper food storage is a science — you shouldn't just throw your ground beef in any available space in your refrigerator. If stored on the wrong shelf, you could contaminate other foods and increase the risk of foodborne illnesses. For example, storing ground beef beneath raw chicken is a big mistake because it presents the greatest risk of contamination and potential illnesses. But, you also don't want to store your meat above fully cooked or ready-to-eat foods because they won't be cooked at a high enough temperature to kill bacteria before serving.

The best place for storing ground beef and other forms of ground meat is on the second to lowest shelf. However, you can also store it on the very bottom shelf if you don't have raw poultry in your fridge. Ideally, place your ground beef at the very back of the shelf since this is where it'll be the coldest and therefore most protected from bacteria growth.

Ground beef is one of the food items I always buy in bulk. Not only is doing so more cost efficient, but it's also more convenient because I don't have to shop again as soon. However, many people make the mistake of throwing their bulk ground beef straight into the fridge. This not only makes it challenging to use, but also means it will take longer for the meat to freeze or thaw.

Before freezing your bulk ground beef, divide the servings, distributing it based on how you plan to use it. This helps the meat freeze better, ensures you have the right portion sizes, and decreases thawing time in the fridge. I like to pre-season and pre-shape my ground beef during the division stage to make life easier when it's time to cook. For example, I'll form my hamburger patties and season them with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder before freezing them. I also prep, form, and season my Italian meatballs before popping them in the freezer.

I always recommend changing or reinforcing store packaging before freezing your ground beef. This is because the packaging used by manufacturers is usually flimsy and not ideal for protecting your meat's quality in the freezer. Heavy duty plastic wrap or plastic freezer bags are my usual go-to for long-term storage, but freezer paper and aluminum foil also work. Airtight storage containers could work if they're designed for the freezer. Since not all are, be sure to verify this usage first.

When transferring your ground beef to a new packaging, be sure to remove air from the package. Vacuum sealers work great for this, but carefully pressing out the air by hand is fine, too. Any air exposure can lead to freezer burn which, while not dangerous, can ruin the taste and texture of meat. In my experience, freezer burned ground beef tastes rancid and has a grainy mouthfeel guaranteed to ruin your appetite.

During my many years working in restaurants, it was routine to check freezer and refrigerator temperatures at the start of every shift. The reasoning is that there are many things which can cause fluctuations in temperatures, like opening doors, adding too many products, or appliance malfunctions. Unfortunately, it's also my experience that built-in thermometers aren't always accurate, so I highly recommend getting external ones. 

A fantastic, affordable option is this two-pack of basic analog refrigerator thermometers. I like these because they're simple and have a bright red strip to highlight when your appliances are too warm. A blue section represents where you want your freezer to be, and a white area highlights ideal refrigerator temperatures. In case you don't have a thermometer with this visual representation, your optimal fridge temperature to protect against foodborne illnesses is between zero and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Your freezer should remain below zero Fahrenheit to allow for long-term storage.

Cross-contamination is when bacteria from one thing is transferred to another, sometimes resulting in foodborne illnesses. Here, the "thing" is ground beef and anything else it might come into contact with. People make many mistakes when it comes to cross-contamination, but prevention is one of the first things I learned in commercial kitchens. With ground beef and any other meat, there are a few things you should do to avoid cross-contamination mistakes.

You can unwittingly cross-contaminate your ground beef or other foods during transportation, storage, thawing, or cooking. During transportation, keep ground beef separate from other food items in your cart and your grocery bags. It's also a good idea to wrap it in the plastic bags you'll find in most grocery store meat or produce sections. Any time you work with raw ground beef on your counters or other surfaces, you should disinfect the area and wash your hands after. This includes during thawing, when transferring to another package, or when cooking.

Thaw your ground beef fully before cooking and don't make common meat defrosting mistakes, like rinsing it or leaving it on the counter. The best option is to thaw on the appropriate refrigerator shelf instead. Fully thawing ensures the meat cooks evenly, ensuring that the whole portion comes out of the danger zone at approximately the same time. So, if you temp any part of the meat, it'll be an accurate reading for the whole thing. (FYI: Any temp readings on your cooked ground beef should be 160 Fahrenheit or higher.) 

Thawing your meat does more than protect you from bacteria — it also protects the meat's flavor and mouthfeel. Meat that's been cooked straight from frozen can have a strange taste that, to me, is almost watered down — like it's the shadow of ground beef instead of the real deal. It might also have a strange texture that provides a slightly grainy or soggy mouthfeel. For the best flavor and appropriate texture, fully thaw ground beef before using it in your favorite recipes.