With Eid ul Azha on the horizon, most homes will have a large quantity of meat from their sacrificial animals. With so much meat to keep, it can be quite tricky to store them safely.

So, here are some hacks for storing meat to keep them fresh, and make the most use of your refrigerator.

Deep clean the refrigerator before Eid

Before bringing home meat, it must be made sure that the fridge is properly organised and clean. You should throw away anything that has expired, properly clean the shelves by wiping them with a damp cloth, and most importantly, maintain an optimal temperature setting so that your fridge will stay cold throughout. A clean fridge is essential in preventing bacteria growth, cross-contamination, and bad odour.

Cut the meat into smaller chunks

Storing meats in large chunks will take up a lot of space in your refrigerator, so it's best to cut them into smaller pieces as you will need them for cooking later on. You can also separate the meat into different cuts like chops, steaks, and so on. Or divide them into portions for dishes like curry, as it will be easier to find them before cooking.

Using airtight containers and freezer bags

Airtight containers or freezer bags are very good options if you want to prevent the meat from losing flavour, or absorbing the smell of other food. Additionally, label each bag or container with dates and types of meat, and store them in the coldest parts of the freezer, which is usually at the bottom or back part, as doing this will make sure you can get the meat easily when you need it for cooking.

Use the express or fast cooling in freezers

Most of us will be storing meat in freezers or as it is locally known, 'deep fridge'. When putting a large quantity of meat, it might take a long time for the cooling to kick in, and there's a chance of meat going to waste if it is stored beyond the capacity of the freezers. So, it is always recommended to use express or fast cooling right from the moment your freezer is full, as the faster the cooling process begins, the safer the meat will be for storage.