A lot of emphasis is put on the need for rapid freezing to maximize the quality of frozen meat. It is well understood that rapid freezing of meat produces smaller ice crystals than slow freezing, therefore causing less damage to the meat. However, the storage conditions of frozen meat may be just as important as the freezing rate and, perhaps more important, in determining the ultimate quality of frozen meat.
Meat starts to freeze at 26-28 degrees F, but traditionally has been considered to be frozen when the core temperature reaches 0 degrees. This target temperature may originate from Clarence Birdseye’s work in the 1920s, which may need to be reassessed. Rapid freezing is only possible in relatively thin pieces of meat (patties, links, chicken breasts, etc.) using cryogenic methods. One definition of rapid freezing for meat is freezing rates of between 0.5 cm/hr and 3.0 cm/hr (3/6 in/hr to 1 3/6 in/hr).