Can You Freeze Liver Meat?

Liver meat is one of the most nutritionally dense foods out there. But there are some rumors and conflicts around storing it that you can’t freeze liver meat. Well, you can guess why we’re calling it a rumor. We have scientific evidence and a proven process for freezing liver meat which is totally safe.

Liver meat can be frozen and you can easily store the raw liver for up to two months. The easiest way to freeze a cooked liver is to buy a freezer-safe container and put the liver in it. Then you can store it in the cooled compartment which doesn’t go below 0˚C (Don’t put it in the chest freezer, you will lose the taste and nutritious value from it). To thaw the raw liver, there are four states to it, which you will get to know in the later part of this article.

However, you shouldn’t be the least careful thinking that freezing liver meat is the easiest thing in the world. There are steps that you should follow carefully to make sure that the meat stays as healthy as possible. 

How Do You Freeze Liver?

The freezing method is different based on whether you’re storing raw liver or cooked liver.

Keep in mind that you will need a deep refrigerator (Goes below 0˚C) or a normal bottom refrigerator (Stays above 0˚C but under 6˚C) depending on two different states of the liver. If you don’t follow the specific instructions given, then the water inside the cells of the liver expands. 

When the liver reaches its maximum state, the water breaks through the cell wall and creates an unhealthy situation.   

This will cause the liver cells extra susceptible and prone to freeze-burning damage. Also, you will see a loss in the texture of the liver and the taste will be badly affected.   

How to Freeze Cooked Liver

For cooked liver, a good quality freezer-safe container will do the job. Just put it in, and store it from 0 ˚C to +4 C in a freeze. With this, you can save it for almost up to a week. But do keep in mind, the longer you will store it, the faster it will lose its taste.

Bad news goes for those who plan to freeze liver with green vegetables or similar items such as cashew nut salad. The best it can be stored for 2 days, but after that, the taste and nutrition will start to lose for those green leaves.  

How to Freeze Raw Liver

Freezing fresh liver is what we recommend most for everyone. Cause this will give you room to store liver for a longer period and also to have fresh meals regularly. In terms of frosting and defrosting, it works great at both times.

Below we built a chart that will tell you stage by stage how you can preserve fresh liver for a long time.

Steps	Things you need to do
Step 1: Drain the Liquids	Overview: Usually, most of the raw or fresh livers you buy from the market come with wet and sometimes blood-filled meat. So you need to remove this extra liquid so that the meat gets light and there is no freezing problem occurs in the chamber.The step in detail: To remove the water from the liver, first remove the liver from the packet. Then take a sturdy paper towel and put the liver on it.Leave it like this for a couple of minutes. It will soak the liquid. If needed, press the towel to absorb additional liquid from the liver.
Step 2: Put the portions separately	Overview: As we mentioned earlier, sometimes you buy a bulk amount of livers which may be a bit hassle to put in the refrigerator. You don’t want all the livers to be pulled out of freeze when you settle to cook a smaller amount of liver.The step in detail: Organize the liver into small batches. If you make big batches, it will be hard for you to move the livers inside the refrigerator.Point out, some of them have a good side of meat, and some of them have a bit clumsy meat. Differentiate them accordingly so that you can recognize what portions contain what kind of liver.
Step 3: Pack the livers in freezer-safe bags	Overview: A good quality bag helps to protect the liver from all kinds of bacteria and keep the liver clean. You certainly can’t keep the liver open at freezing temperature.Te step in detail: We recommend clear silicon bags to store the livers. PEVA and reusable bags are great for the liver since they are made to be put inside the refrigerator.You can use standard plastic bags but that doesn’t guarantee your food safety. Put the different portions of the livers inside the bag and put all of them organized inside the refrigerator.
Step 4: Label and Freeze	Overview: Sometimes you don’t know which liver to cook before and which to cook later. The label will help you to sort out this kind of thing.The step in detail: Remember, any kind of label won’t work for a livers bag. You need to put waterproof labels on it.Our recommendation will be to use a permanent marker and rainproof pages for labeling the liver bags. This helps to find out the exact bag at the exact time.

How Can You Thaw the Frozen Liver?

Thawing is a process by which frozen meats are brought to room temperature. It’s kind of like the synonym for defrosting, but it’s a better way than defrosting.

Defrosting only removes the freezing effect from the frozen food but thawing will do a reverse effect on the livers along with removing any bacteria that are living in the frozen food.

There are three main ways by which you can thaw the frozen liver. These are in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. The ways of thawing processes are given below,

Method 1: Thawing in the Refrigerator

Step 01: Plan when you want to thaw. Most of the frozen items including liver may take overnight or a full day to thaw. So you need to make sure your cooking time and start thawing at least 12h-14h prior to that time.

Step 02: Pick a container or jar according to the size of the frozen liver. Check if there is any leak in the jar. When thawing starts, liquids start to melt from the frozen liver which may make a messy situation if there are leaks in your container.

Step 03: Put the liver in the container in the bottom freezer. If needed, raise the temperature of the freeze so that it may melt a bit fast. This process takes time but it’s a good hassle-free process since the liver can be refrozen fast if it’s needed.

Method 2: Thawing Into The Cold Water

Step 01: It’s comparatively the fastest process of thawing. Depending on the weight of the liver, it may take 3-4 hours. So plan accordingly before you start thawing in this method.

Step 02: Pick a big bag and put the liver in it. Then submerge it in a big water bowl. The water doesn’t necessarily need to be warm to defrost the liver but a bit of warm water will accelerate the process. Make sure to change the water every 30 minutes.

Step 03: You need to cook the thawed liver immediately. Don’t wait for long periods or else the liver may get smelly. Note that you can’t keep the thawed liver back to freeze if you follow this process. 

Method 3: Using the Microwave

Step 01: After getting the liver out of the refrigerator, remove all the plastics around it. Put it in a sizable microwave-safe container.

Step 02: Follow the microwave instructions to defrost frozen food written in the manual. Function your microwave accordingly.

Step 01: Cook all the liver afterward. Like water thawing, you also can’t refreeze after thawing in this process. 

FAQs

At what temperature can I store liver meat for a longer period?

Ans: There are four states of temperature in which life can be stored. In cooled temperature, which is from 0 ˚C to +4 C, the raw liver can last for max 2-3 days. In frostbitten temperature which is from -2˚C to -3˚C, it can stay for a week.

In freezing temperature which is not higher than -8˚C, the liver can last 20 days, up to a month. In the deeply frozen state of temperature which is -18˚C and below, the liver may last for almost two months.

Should all the livers need to be stored in the same process?

Ans: Yes, whether it’s chicken liver or beef liver, you need to store it in the same process. Since the liver is the same for all kinds of animals, there isn’t much change in it while freezing. Chicken livers are small in amount but beef livers have a huge quantity, so you need to keep them in separate clear bags.

Is there any health concern for frozen liver?

Ans: If you properly store the liver, the liver will last in its best quality for a long time. Failure to maintain proper temperature and thawing process may lead to quality drops for your liver. Do note that cooked liver may lose taste over time for the freezing effect. We recommend you store raw and fresh liver from the market instead of cooked liver.

Conclusion

From our article, you are getting a clear idea about whether you can freeze liver meat or not. 

Since meat and liver have their own differences, preserving liver is a big hassle but following our steps and rules, you can achieve it easily.  

If you want to get the best taste and nutritious value from the liver, consume it fresh. Or at least consume it in a short time after buying. If possible, don’t go beyond two days in-store to get the best taste served.

Freezing is a viable option, but only if you have to store it for longer periods. Make sure you thaw it for an ample amount of time before consuming it.