# Can I freeze made but uncooked meatballs?



## riffwraith (Dec 19, 2014)

Fresh ground beef

Egg

Garlic Powder

Cinn

Salt

Dredge in egg and flour

The next step would be to fry them; can I freeze these as-is before frying?

Thanks in advance.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Sure you can.

But no bread in the meatball?


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Yes you can freeze them. Place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and then put them in the freezer. Leave them in for a half hour or hour. Then transfer them into a large ziploc bag and store in the freezer. 

Do you like these meatballs? Let us know if you're looking for a tastier recipe.


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## riffwraith (Dec 19, 2014)

BrianShaw said:


> But no bread in the meatball?


No - grandma's middle eastern meatballs. Apparently they don't use breadcrumbs...


Koukouvagia said:


> Do you like these meatballs? Let us know if you're looking for a tastier recipe.


Tastier meatballs? No such thing!!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/talker.gif


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## heidicookssuppe (Apr 16, 2017)

For safety's sake, I always cook anything I make with ground meat before I freeze it.  One can freeze raw meatballs but I wouldn't hazard it in a home kitchen with a fridge-freezer. I definitely wouldn't wait for them to thaw before cooking.  Many bacteria multiply rapidly at any temperature above 40F.  The process of making meatballs and then freezing them in a home freezer means they are in what USDA calls the "danger zone" (40F to 60F) for a relatively long time.  Cooking them, to some degree, resets the clock.


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

Huh? Just put them in the fridge before freezing


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

My only caveat is that garlic and cinnamon tend to shift flavors in the freezer, more so when uncooked.


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## roritacandy (Apr 4, 2017)

MillionsKnives said:


> Huh? Just put them in the fridge before freezing


Agreed. That's how I usually do it.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

riffwraith said:


> No - grandma's middle eastern meatballs. Apparently they don't use breadcrumbs...
> 
> Tastier meatballs? No such thing!!! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/talker.gif


In most Middle Eastern Meatball recipes you will find many more spices for ingredients. You may like Grandmas recipe but in no way would it be close to what most recipes would include. I wouldn't turn up my nose if Koukouvagia is willing to give you another recipe. If Mr Clean could came out with a new and improved version of their product who's to say you can't get a new and improved Middle Eastern meatball recipe. I for one would like it!!!! ChefBillyB


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

ChefBillyB said:


> In most Middle Eastern Meatball recipes you will find many more spices for ingredients. You may like Grandmas recipe but in no way would it be close to what most recipes would include. I wouldn't turn up my nose if Koukouvagia is willing to give you another recipe. If Mr Clean could came out with a new and improved version of their product who's to say you can't get a new and improved Middle Eastern meatball recipe. I for one would like it!!!! ChefBillyB


I admit I love my Grandmother's meatball recipe too. But I do make and eat other kinds of meatballs as well. Life is too short and I try to eat as much as I can lol.

You know I was thinking that the OP's recipe doesn't sound middle eastern to me, save for the bit of cinnamon. Maybe his grandmother is middle eastern and whatever she cooks is thought to be middle eastern? What does give a dish a specific ethnic label? When I make eggs on toast does it mean it's greek eggs on toast? Greeks eat pasta a lot, and sometimes they put feta on it. Is it italian or is it greek? Interesting to think about.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Koukouvagia said:


> I admit I love my Grandmother's meatball recipe too. But I do make and eat other kinds of meatballs as well. Life is too short and I try to eat as much as I can lol.
> 
> You know I was thinking that the OP's recipe doesn't sound middle eastern to me, save for the bit of cinnamon. Maybe his grandmother is middle eastern and whatever she cooks is thought to be middle eastern? What does give a dish a specific ethnic label? When I make eggs on toast does it mean it's greek eggs on toast? Greeks eat pasta a lot, and sometimes they put feta on it. Is it italian or is it greek? Interesting to think about.


Koukouvagia, the only thing I see that may even come close would be the Cinnamon. When I think of Middle Eastern meatballs I think spices and full of flavor. A yogurt sauce would in most cases accompany the meatball. I think of Chopped garlic, Mint, Zatar, Blk pepper, Cumin, Gnd All spice and a few more. In my business and being in many food services I was always open to better. The better I get the better quality items my customer gets. It's easy to get into the mold of thinking everything I do is the best. If I had a dishwasher tell me his/her Grandma had a killer recipe I would tell them lets make it. If the recipe was good I would have them help prepare the recipe as a special. My point was to always be open to a better way of doing something.......ChefBillyB


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

MillionsKnives said:


> Huh? Just put them in the fridge before freezing


The reason you'd should lay them out and freeze or partially freeze them first is to create an "IQF" situation (individually quick frozen) for them so that they won't stick together when placed in a ziploc bag, and that you can remove as few or as many as you want without thawing the entire batch. If you freeze them all from the fridge you are likely to have them freeze in one connected mass.


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## riffwraith (Dec 19, 2014)

Hi.

My grandmother was born and raised in Egypt. She learned to cook from her mother, who was also born and raised in Egypt. My grandmother makes other meatballs, which are full of flavor, and have a lot of other spices. These, are served with soup and cous-cous, and also are cooked for a bit in tomato sauce, and I assume are therefore meant to be a little bit on the plain side.

Cheers.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

riffwraith said:


> Hi.
> 
> My grandmother was born and raised in Egypt. She learned to cook from her mother, who was also born and raised in Egypt. My grandmother makes other meatballs, which are full of flavor, and have a lot of other spices. These, are served with soup and cous-cous, and also are cooked for a bit in tomato sauce, and I assume are therefore meant to be a little bit on the plain side.
> 
> Cheers.


I hope you know that we would never put down Grandma's meatballs. You never want to get on the wrong side of Grandma. I wonder if the original recipe called for Lamb ??? Like you said these are for soup so that could be the reason she made them the way she did. I'm sure Grandma knew her way around the spice market growing up in Egypt. Also, going back meat of any kind could have been in short supply and something that may have been hard to afford for the family. This could have been a way to serve the meatball with soup to give everyone some protein in their meal. My Mom would always get a broth off of a whole chicken before she roasted the chicken in the oven. She served the broth with egg noodles to fill us up before the dinner was served.


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