I never freeze meat in the package it comes in from the store. I quick-freeze meat in portions I want to prepare it on a cookie sheet (freeze it just until it is solid - 30-45-minutes). Separate it using parchment or waxed paper, plastic wrap, or put portions in fold-top sandwich bags. Then I vacuum-seal it in FoodSaver bags. I can open a bag and take out what I need and reseal the bag and put it back into the freezer. FoodSaver bags eliminate freezer burn and I can purchase meat in bulk and divide it for our family of two. I quick-freeze patties and put two or three in a fold-top sandwich bag (an amount I would use for a meal), stack them and vacuum-seal the stack of patties in a FoodSaver bag. You can form perfectly nice patties with your hands. I have an ancient Tupperware Patty Maker and it still gets used for making meat, fish, gluten, and bean patties. The Cuisinart model at the link below is similar to my Tupperware Patty Maker. I measure the meat in a measuring cup, or on a kitchen scale, so I have patties that are the same size and the appropriate amount for a serving of meat. You can cut circles out of plastic container lids, plastic plates, etc. (use food-grade plastic items) and use them to separate your patties. It actually works really well. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Hamburger Patty Maker

Ellen, here I rarely see any ground turkey except those frozen one pound "chubs" and it's about $3 a pound ON SALE! I do use ground turkey, I just don't buy ground turkey already ground. I grind my own in the food processor, usually from turkey thighs, but I peel off the skin. If you cut it into pieces and put it in the freezer until it's just starting to get really firm and freeze, it chops up realy well in the food processor. Beef too, and pork for sausage. At least I know what's in there that way. I know nearly everyone here loves the "crispy skin", but I won't even eat poultry skin fried or roasted, I peel it off, always. I can usually get turkey parts around the holidays, i.e. from Thanksgiving to Easter. My local (very small and independent) grocer gets turkeys from local farmers by the truckload and sells them fresh for holiday dinners. Anything that isn't sold or that gets bungled up during the processing becomes "parts", sold by the pound in packages. The owner says that parts actually sell better than the whole turkeys, although most people want turkey breast, so the thighs are a lot chepaer. i don't try to grind legs, too many little bones, cartilege and such in there. Annie

Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP)[edit] Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is a technique used for prolonging the shelf-life of fresh or minimally processed foods. In this preservation technique the air surrounding the food in the package is changed to another composition. This way the initial fresh state of the product may be prolonged. It is the shelf-life of perishable products like meat, fish, fruits and vegetables that will be prolonged with MAP since it slows the natural deterioration of the product. MAP is used with various types of products. The mixture of gases in the package depends on the type of product, packaging materials and storage temperature. Meat, fish and cheese are non-respiring products needing very low gas permeability films and so-called high barrier films are used. The initial flushed gas-mixture will be maintained inside the MA package. Conversely, fruits and vegetables are respiring products where the interaction of the packaging material with the product is important and so low barrier or so-called high permeability films are used for these. So long as the permeability (for O2 and CO2) of the packaging film is adapted to the product's level of respiration, an equilibrium modified atmosphere will be established in the package and the shelf-life of the product will increase.

Although my recipe originally called for ground chicken, I use ground white meat turkey because it's much easier to find in stores these days. It's a take off on those delicious Buffalo-Style Chicken Wings. I make this about once every other month, and freeze portions for later. Very convenient! BUFFALO CHICKEN (TURKEY) CHILI Ingredients: 3 carrots, sliced into half moons 3 stalks celery, sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground white meat turkey 1 tablespoon chile powder 2 tablespoons flour 2-3 tablespoons cumin 2 cups vegetable or tomato juice 2 tablespoons hot sauce, or more 1 can cannelloni beans, drained 2 cups kale, chopped (if desired) Toppings: Plain non-fat Greek yogurt and/or Whipped blue cheese topping (recipe below) Chopped green onions Directions: 1) Liberally coat a medium pot with cooking oil spray, and preheat over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and celery and sauté , stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes; add water, a tablespoon at a time to prevent scorching. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. 2) Add the ground turkey, reapplying more cooking spray if needed. Sauté, stirring continuously and breaking up the turkey into small pieces, for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through. As turkey cooks, continue to scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any large bits. Sprinkle in the chile powder, flour, and cumin; stir quickly to distribute them evenly. Immediately add the vegetable juice, hot sauce and beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, covered for about 40 minutes. Ladle into warmed serving bowls and serve with desired toppings. *Whipped Blue Cheese Topping: In a small bowl mash together 1/3—1/2 cup of blue cheese crumbles with an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt. Serve as a topping for this chili. Top with chopped green onions. Great served with sliced tomatoes, avocados and slices of baked, breaded eggplant or other bread substitute. (This original recipe, before I changed it a bit, came from JoyBauer.com)