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Basic understanding of cooking, check, now for before and after

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Daze823:
Ok, after much reading and a good amount of experimenting, I think I can say I have a basic knowledge of smoking - roasting - grilling...  But there is oh so much more to it, that I'm still fighting with feeling efficient at, so if anyone has any links or helpful advice on the following, I'd really appreciate any info:

vacuum packing - what is the benefit of doing it before freezing raw beef, pork or/and chicken

Vacuum packing - what about the same cooked...  Basically trying to figure out if I need one, most of our cooked meat gets eaten in a week, but I wouldn't mind cooking more and saving for quick meals.

Grill prep area - I tend to make a big mess in the kitchen and patio table prepping meat before and after cook...  Has anyone bought or built a functional outdoor prep station for use with cooking?

Freezing and thawing meat - a local store had a great deal on pork picnics, so I bought two big ones on Tuesday, but couldn't cook till Sunday so I stuck them both in freezer and on Thursday put a one in fridge for Sunday cook, well it's Saturday night and it's still frozen in center....   What are the best freezing / thawing procedures for pork and whole chickens (beef I will only buy when ready to cook in a day or two)?

I would appreciate any info..

Daze

Smokin Don:
Welcome from Ohio!!!
Vacuum packing or sealing keeps the food, raw or cooked from getting freezer burn and it will keep a lot longer. The oldest I remember eating was some fish that was packed in water, vacuum sealed and frozen; it was 3 years old and after thawing and frying it was just as good as fresh.

To me the best way to thaw anything is in the fridge.

I do all my food prep inside in the kitchen and carry it outside as needed. I am in the air conditioning in the summer and no flies. Hope this helps! Don

Pappymn:
Stainless steel hotel pans and jelly roll pans are a god send for prep. Lot of people here put frozen meat on the Smoker with no problem. Vacuum sealing is a must.

Jaxon:
I believe vacuum sealed food will last much longer in the freezer without freezer burn. 
If you pull stuff from the freezer and it is full of ice crystals, it's pretty much over.  Vacuum sealing prevents that.
Do a Google search for freezer burn and one for the benefits of vacuum sealing. 

It won't be necessary if you are only going to freeze for a week or 2, just remove as much of the air as possible from the wrapped food.

Just sayin'...

tlg4942:
Welcome from Lower Alabama.
Vacuum sealing is the best!  Get a good unit though (look on here for recommendations). I have one of the lower end units and it only lasted a year before it started having sealing issues with the heat strips.

  If you just want to checkout sealing for cheap buy one of the ZipLock hand pumps and some bags.
These things are great and the bag can be resealed  a time or two. They even make an electric pump for $18 but it's not necessary.

I have a basic  grill prep area, I perfer to use it because it's so easy to cleanup after. And it gets me outside where I would rather be. We have a long grilling season here so I think it's worth the effort. In fact I am about to expand it some starting today.
If cost is an issue learn where to look for deals at Lowes, Home Depot, etc.. They always have sections in the stores where they put the mark down items.  They let stuff go really cheap when restocking or something has a little chip.
Think outside the box!
 I have a friend that built a protable bar useing bamboo flooring as the top. Split bamboo for the front. Hardwood scraps for the trim. The thing Looks awesome to say the least.
Granite shops will cut you deals on small pieces of leftovers. Remember they sell whole slabs when someone buys a kithens worth and there is very often lots of pieces left over. A medium piece to them is 3'x4' Blacks and Browns are easily mixed without showing if there is a little separation between them.
The cost comes if you want these cut to size ( that saw blade cost $1500) so it helps to build the cabinet to fit the top most times.
 Sams Club will has a commercial kitchen area where you can find all kinds of cool stuff. Bar rags, large plastic cutting boards, large stainless mixing bowls etc...
Walmart has a sale isle where you can often find off season pot pans , bowls and who knows what for cheap...
 Also if you can find a commercial kitchen fixture shop in the area they may have good deals in there as well.

Cooking skills... There are lots of good shows on the tube these days, lots of good books and DVD s out there. Americas test kitchen is a good one , Arron Frankins book is good and the Steven the Weber guy has a couple good books. Many , many more ....
 Don't be afraid to ask questions of those on here and others. People enjoy sharing cooking methods. If an Aunt or grandparent cooks something you like ask them! They won't be around forever and spending that time with them might turn out more valuable in more ways than expected.
 In my case my son went to culinary school and has taught me so much and helped us spend time together.
 Ok I'm off the soap box now...

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