We all like our meat. But some may think that frozen meat is merely leftover chilled meat that has been frozen, or is meat derived from inferior quality animals. To others, the freezing process is seen as having affected the quality of the meat, and they may regard frozen meat as being less fresh chilled meat. However, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is assuring consumers that frozen meat is not only fresh, but also stretches the grocery dollar by being cheaper than chilled meat.
AVA says that frozen meat is derived from freshly slaughtered animals. Freezing and frozen storage is the best method of extending the useful shelf life of meat. The freezing process preserves the freshness of the meat, its taste, nutritional value and quality. In fact, the freshness of frozen meat can be maintained for up to six months under appropriate storage conditions, while unrefrigerated meat can go stale and spoil within a day.
Learn to Cook Frozen Meat
To encourage more people to buy and cook frozen meat, a series of cooking demonstrations has been planned from September to October this year. These demonstrations, to be held in collaboration with radio stations including UFM 100.3 (Chinese cooking demonstrations) and Warna 94.2 FM (Malay cooking demonstrations), will be conducted at various community centres. Radio celebrities such as Kemin, Jian Wen and Wen Hong will join in the events. There will also be cooking demonstrations by well-known chefs such as Chef Peng Yu Yun (who helms the healthy cooking column for Shin Min Daily, UW Magazine and omy.sg) and Asmah Laili (who fronts several cooking shows on Suria).
| Date | Time | Venue | |
| Chinese Cooking Demonstrations | 5-Sep-09 | 10 am – 12 pm | Seng Kang CC |
| 5-Sep-09 | 3 pm – 5 pm | Toa Payoh CC | |
| 12-Sep-09 | 10 am – 12 pm | Ulu Pandan CC | |
| 12-Sep-09 | 3 pm – 5 pm | Feng Shan CC | |
| 19-Sep-09 | 10 am – 12 pm | Bukit Batok CC | |
| Malay Cooking Demonstrations (held after Fasting Month) |
10-Oct-09 | 10 am – 1 pm | Choa Chu Kang CC |
| 24-Oct-09 | 2 pm – 5 pm | Jalan Besar CC | |
| 31-Oct-09 | 2 pm – 5 pm | Geylang Serai CC |
Pitching Culinary Skills
Apart from the cooking demonstrations, AVA is also working with UFM 100.3 to organise its first-ever Frozen Meat Culinary Challenge. Interested participants can form teams of two and submit a frozen meat recipe of their choice to the radio station at recipe@radio1003.com. Five teams from each area of Singapore – South West, South East, Central, North West, and North East – will be selected to compete in the preliminary rounds to be held at shopping malls in the respective areas. To add to the challenge, the public will be invited to vote, and their votes will count as part of the scores.
| Date | Time | Venue | |
| Preliminary Rounds | 26-Sep-09 | 1 pm – 3 pm | West Mall |
| 4-Oct-09 | 1 pm – 3 pm | East Point | |
| 4-Oct-09 | 5 pm – 7 pm | Ang Mo Kio Hub | |
| 10-Oct-09 | 1 pm – 3 pm | Bukit Panjang Plaza | |
| 10-Oct-09 | 10 am – 12 pm | Rivervale Mall | |
| Finals | 25-Oct-09 | 2 pm – 4pm (To be Confirmed) |
Junction 8 |
Frozen meat can be used to cook an assortment of dishes, such as rendang beef, steamed pork ribs with black bean sauce and Hainanese mutton stew. So, for culinary enthusiasts out there, do look out for these dates to exchange tips and share recipes with one another to cook the best dishes while spending less. As AVA puts it, “Eat well for less. Choose frozen meat.”