Freezing meatballs?

Faith

I'm making meatballs tonight but it's going to be a really big batch so I'll need to freeze at least half of them. Should I freeze them cooked or uncooked? The mince was defrosted overnight in the fridge.

the beer revolu

Faith wrote: »

I'm making meatballs tonight but it's going to be a really big batch so I'll need to freeze at least half of them. Should I freeze them cooked or uncooked? The mince was defrosted overnight in the fridge.

As the meat was already frozen, you should cook them fully before refreezing them.

schmel22

Hi!

Please can anyone help!!!!!!
I have a group of people for dinner,who all love Jamies/my meatballs,tomatoe sauce and pastea. The recipe is from The Naked Chef,but my book is in transit from overseas. Does anyone know of a link to it or even the recipe?

HELP!!!!

M

Curvy Vixen

Spaghetti and Meatballs a la Jamie Oliver
Yield: 6
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:

* 1 lb. ground pork
* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and pounded with a pinch of salt
* 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and pounded
* 2 x small dried red chillies, pounded
* 2 tbsp dried oregano
* 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
* 1 x egg
* 2 handful bread
* salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 4 tbsp olive oil

For the tomato sauce and spaghetti:

* 1 x onion, finely chopped
* 1 x clove of garlic
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 2 x 14 oz tinned tomatoes
* 1 pinch dried oregano
* 2 x handful fresh basil, picked and torn
* 2 oz Mozzarella cheese, broken up or 3 boccacini
* 2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
* 1 lb. Spaghetti pasta, cooked and drained


Directions:
For the meatballs:

1. If your meat is not already minced, whizz it up in a food processor to the required consistency and place it in a bowl. Use the food processor to turn the bread into breadcrumbs. Add the breadcrumbs, dried oregano, cumin, coriander, chilli, rosemary and egg yolk to the minced meat and season with a good pinch of salt and a good twist of black pepper. Mix well, and, with wet hands, roll and pat into meatballs the size and shape you want. (These can be cooked straight away or put on greaseproof paper, covered with clingfilm and refrigerated for up to a day.)
2. Preheat a thick-bottomed frying pan to a very hot temperature, add 3—4 tablespoons of olive oil, swirl around the bottom of the pan and add your meatballs. Fry them until they are brown all over, being careful not to break them up but just moving the pan around so that all sides of the meatballs get nicely coloured.

For the tomato sauce and spaghetti:

1. Meanwhile to make your tomato sauce fry the onion and garlic in a little oil add the tomatoes, rip in the Basil leaves, season and gently simmer for a few minutes. Turn the heat down and pour over the meatballs with the mozzarella broken up and grated Parmesan, then drizzle with olive oil. Cook in the oven at 200 C/400 F/gas 6 for about 15—20 minutes, until the cheese is golden. Serve with the cooked and drained Spaghetti.

schmel22

Yaay!

Thanks so much

rubadub

the beer revolu wrote: »

As the meat was already frozen, you should cook them fully before refreezing them.

Yes, and the reason being that refreezing will alter the cell structure even more and make the meat taste a little different, probably not too much a problem in meatballs.

A lot mistakingly think that refreezing meat should not be done solely for bacterial reasons, which is a myth. You can freeze and refreeze meat many times with no worries, if done properly, like the OP said - defrost in a fridge.

nuds

i have some ready made meatballs i got from the butcher in the freezer. Whats the best way to cook them? in the oven or can i just shallow fry them? easy options welcome, i'm a useless cook!

Seaneh

defront them in a fridge over night and the I'd braise them in the oven to cook them, or stew them in a maranara sauce.

loyatemu

one of the books I have (maybe Nigella) recommends browning large batches of meatballs in the oven - roll them in oil and put them in a hot oven while your making your sauce. Browning them in batches in the pan is a hassle.

rocknchef

when browning them in the oven the juices will start to run before the meat is sealed, better off doing them in a pan in small enough batches that the heat is constant in the pan

the beer revolu

rocknchef wrote: »

when browning them in the oven the juices will start to run before the meat is sealed, better off doing them in a pan in small enough batches that the heat is constant in the pan

Yaknow lots of these books suggest the easy way rather than the best way!!

Dizzyblonde

I always brown my meatballs in the pan, the flavour is better. Then I finish cooking them in a pasta sauce or casserole.