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What Are the Best Tips for Making Easy Mince Meals?
There are many easy mince meals, also called mince meat meals, that can be made with little effort. When cooking with mince, it is important to know that, at one time, this process was considered a form of preservation. Mince meat can be kept longer than a week by adding certain liquors to the mince to retain the flavor and consistency of the mixture. If a person is using meat in mince meals, they will need to be refrigerated to be kept fresh. With no meat, the mixture can be kept outside of the refrigerator for a few days without going bad.
These dishes are a popular and economical way of feeding many people. Some recipes have been used for thousands of years. Originally, mince was made from meats such as beef or lamb. During times of economic stress when meat was scarce, it was made with dried fruits instead. This tradition has continued throughout many generations. The mince made from dried fruits does not need to be chilled to be kept fresh.
Mince dishes are oftentimes served during the Christmas or Thanksgiving holidays. One of the more common recipes made is mincemeat pie. When making the mince meat for the pie in advance, adding a little brandy to the mixture can keep it fresh for a longer period. If a person is planning on keeping the mince meat for a period of longer than a couple of weeks, pouring brandy once a week into the mixture will keep it fresh for up to two months in the refrigerator.
Freezing can keep the mince meat fresh for up to three months. For those who wish to make their food in advance, this can allow those easy mince meals to be kept in the freezer for a quick meal solution on busy days. It is important to put the mince in the refrigerator for one day to allow for thawing before using it in a meal. Laying the mince flat when storing it in the freezer will allow the mixture to defrost at an even rate.
Lasagna is great for easy mince meals that take little time to prepare. The majority of the time involved is in baking. Preparing the mince in advance can make the process easier. This will save time when the lasagna is assembled and baked. It is a common dished used by people who are busy and can quickly assemble the ingredients to bake easy mince meals.
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![Mincemeat for pie.]()
By: Alex S. BayleyMincemeat for pie. -
![Lasagna is always a good crowd pleaser.]()
By: HandmadePicturesLasagna is always a good crowd pleaser. -
![The best way to thaw frozen mince is over time in the refrigerator.]()
By: Brian JacksonThe best way to thaw frozen mince is over time in the refrigerator. -
![Adding brandy to the mincemeat mixture can help keep it fresh for a longer period of time.]()
By: GreseiAdding brandy to the mincemeat mixture can help keep it fresh for a longer period of time.
Discussion Comments
@Iluviaporos - I once lived with some friends who were really into home cooking and they would make hamburgers by grinding their own meat through a handheld grinder.
It took a long time and it was very frustrating, to be honest. I've always wondered why people originally thought of mince as an attractive option, when it took so much elbow grease to get meat into that state.
@pleonasm - I guess that's the advantage of using mince meat. It's difficult to cook it wrong unless you burn it. I usually end up making my mince into hamburgers though.
It's kind of strange that it's almost the exact same components, just put together in a different way and it feels almost like a gourmet meal to me.
Although it's not quite a quick and easy meal to make decent hamburgers, because you've got to get the temperatures and timing right or they will burn on the outside and still be uncooked in the middle.
The most basic meal is probably what we would have in our house when we were kids and both our parents worked long hours. It was basically mince meat that had been browned and chopped potatoes. Our mother would usually add mixed vegetables or maybe a tin of tomatoes and that would be the whole meal.
I really hated it when I was a kid, even though it didn't taste bad or anything, because it just seemed like it wasn't really a meal. But I use it as the base for a meal all the time now. It's quick and you get all the components for an easy meal in one pot without needing a lot of fuss. Plus you can just throw in whatever vegetables you've got handy.
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