How are meats prepared before they are added to frozen meals?

Meats intended for frozen meals undergo several preparation steps, including marinating, cutting, slicing, and cooking. Cooking is essential to eliminate pathogens; typically, the center of the meat must reach 70 °C (160 °F) for at least two minutes.12

Common cooking methods include:

• Frying: Meats are often fried in immersion fryers to create flavor and sear the surface, which helps minimize moisture loss. If the meat is coated in breading, frying helps bind the batter. While some items like fried chicken are fully precooked, others, such as certain fish products, may only be pre-fried to set the coating, with final cooking occurring when the consumer reheats the meal.2
• Oven Cooking: This uses conduction, convection, or radiation. Continuous-type ovens may introduce steam to maintain humidity.2
• Vacuum Cooking: Techniques like sous vide involve cooking meat in sealed, laminated pouches at reduced pressure and temperature to retain natural juices and flavor.2

Following these processes, the products are cooled and prepared for freezing.2