Topic: WHY CAN YOU COOK ICELAND MEAT FROM FROZEN?

[Duke Ellington]

Just saw one of those cheesy Iceland ads on tv  :-X and was wondering what is done to their meat that makes it okay to cook from frozen.

Duke

[goodlife]

Hmm....that sounds bit dodgy,, :-\
Perharps email for Iceland would be in place and get the answer straight from the  source... ;)

[Melbourne12]

Interesting question.  I've just had a shuftie at the Iceland website, where you can enjoy  ;D their adverts.

I suspect the answer is that it's because the joint is so tiny.  The pork loin is 600g including the "apple crust", so probably only a pound of meat.

I might visit our local Iceland and look at the cooking instructions, just out of curiosity.

[Lishka]

I didn't know this, have never seen them, but.my first thought is....how can they roast? That freezing/thawing surely generates water.....

Cooked to safety standards they surely will be - lab tests will have been stringent, but -  'roast'?

Y'know, i think I'll pass on this one, thanks ::)

No hardship tho - I don't like the sound of that 'apple crust' - soggy apple crust?- atorl :o

[Duke Ellington]

I agree with you all. I am not a fan of Iceland products but cooking meat from straight from frozen goes against everything I have always known about frozen meat. Does this mean that I can now safely cook my own frozen meat straight from the freezer?

Duke

[Melbourne12]

I agree with you all. I am not a fan of Iceland products but cooking meat from straight from frozen goes against everything I have always known about frozen meat. Does this mean that I can now safely cook my own frozen meat straight from the freezer?

Duke

Well, in the interests of research, I just had a little trip round Iceland in Harrow Weald.  I'm rarely self-conscious about my ethnicity, but I did feel a wee bit out of place in there.  But I did discover the secrets of the "Roast from Frozen" joints.

First, they are all boneless, even the chicken and turkey ones.

Second, they are small.  The vast majority are 500g, of which about 90% is meat and the remainder is some sort of crust.  It's the crust that absorbs any water that the meat exudes, and presumably in the later stages of cooking forms a seal so that the meat stays moist.

But third, and most important, is the heat and duration.  The 500g joints have virtually identical instructions, whetehr beef, pork, lamb, or poultry:  Preheat oven to 200C (180C fan).  Put the frozen joint in its tray with the lid on in for 40 minutes.  Remove the lid and give it another 50 minutes.  So that's an hour and a half at 200C for a pound of meat!

I found a 1kg pork joint.  90% meat again, so 2 pounds of actual pork.  Same instructions, but cook for 1 hour lid on, followed by 1 hour 30 minutes lid off.  So two and a half hours at 200C for two pounds of meat.

I'm afraid that the interests of research didn't extend to my investing five or six quid in one of the beastly things to try it out.  So I bought some frozen peas instead.  The very nice lady on the till gave me a loyalty card, but I'm not sure that it'll be getting a lot of use.  ;D

[Lishka]

Hey, thanks for the research! 8)

So if you like expensive well-cooked pork and are prepared to wait half a day almost for a tiny slice of it - it still sounds pretty horrible ;D

[goodlife]

What you 'save' by buying it 'cheap' you spend in electricity or gas when cooking it... ::) That's about right.. ::)
I'm afraid that don't appeal to me what so ever.
We don't eat that much meat..but when I do make efford to do so..I rather buy nice piece (cheap cuts will do) and cook it sloooooow on woodburner.. :P..oh, I'm drooling now by just thinking of those winter days when I put piece to stew in the morning and its left on to cook until we are ready to eat later on the day... :P
Proper cooking without hurry...

[SamLouise]

:P..oh, I'm drooling now by just thinking of those winter days when I put piece to stew in the morning and its left on to cook until we are ready to eat later on the day... :P
Proper cooking without hurry...

Oh, well now you've gone and done it.  I'm going to pop into town and get me some ingredients for a nice lamb casserole.  It can be cooking all day I'm at work tomorrow. Yum! ;D

[Lishka]

And I'll be getting out my inherited Aunt Lilian's crock pot and doing the same. A sure sign that Winter's on its way. :)

[Lishka]

....anyone else still amused by the heading for this which shows "how can you cook ice..."

Oh! Just me, then? :-[

I'll get me coat -  :-[  ;D

[small]

I don't have a television and I'm not familiar with Iceland as a store - but apart from the cooking from frozen, how do these joints differ from the more expensive M&S crust-covered lumps of rolled chicken etc? Or is it just the cook from frozen that is provoking the responses? Mind you, now I've looked at the adverts on their website, I feel an unreasonable prejudice coming on too.....

[brownowl23]

Im Afriad to say I have had the misfortune to have eaten one of these joints - actually make that several including an xmas turkey. Sadly for some reason my sister is a fan of iceland (can ya tell yet im not!)

All I can say is that by the time you have cooked them they have had the life cooked out of them. I can only decribe them as eating tastless cardboard. Ive tasted better shoe leather.

Feel sorry for me as I have the pleasure of an iceland turkey this year depsite having offered to pay for and arrange to have a fresh turkey delivered to my parents house.
I'd even spend Xmas eve sleeping on my mums living room floor so I can prepare and stuff the bird if it meant I was not subjected to an awful Iceland specimen. Sadly my offers have been declined.
The only thing I am allowed to bring is some runner beans from my lottie and if I am lucky some lottie spuds (if not they are pre prepared and awful from iceland too!). Even the Xmas pud is coming from  iceland even though ive offered to make and bring one!!!

[Humble Bumble]

I was also wondering the same about the Aldi 3 bird roast which my mother cooked last xmas, which again was cooked from frozen.  It saved having to get up early to stick the old bird in the oven.  But I must admit it was lovely and juciy and great fun trying to guess which bit was from which bird  ;D

My mother thought it was so great that she has just bought one for this year, but she was nearly tempted by the new 4 bird roast!  :P

[gwynleg]

Brownowl, commiserations!! We have more control the cooking as relatives now come to us but we do have to sleep on the floor as elderly relatives need the beds. I usually cant wait until its over (not even November and I already feel bah humbug!)

[green lily]

Organic lamb from local farmer for us. Stuffed with garlic and rosemary- and perhaps some apricots.Leeks, carrots pfas etc. Rather have a nut roast than some of those frozen things. ;D ;D
Mind you Morisons do some nice free range frozen ducks....  ;)

[lottie lou]

I tried that 3 bird roast one year.  Never again.  Also tried last year one of those frozen geese from Lidls.  Back to my fresh duck, pork and possibly chine of beef this year.

[pigeonseed]

....anyone else still amused by the heading for this which shows "how can you cook ice..."

Oh! Just me, then?

I'll get me coat -   

 ;D ;D No one's yet revealed the secret of that!

[plainleaf]

it is strange that you all have such poor results from frozen
 food to cooked, duck  and 3 birds roasts. I have cook similar and had very good results. but then again I might come down to the type ovens and probe thermometer I use when cooking large meat blocks.

[lottie lou]

Probe thermometer?  I'm from the "When its brown its done, when its black its b****ed" school of cookery