Master Meat Mixes - Pressure Cooker Knowledge Back to Menu Master Mixes can be used to form the foundation of many recipes and they are great time savers to the harried cook. It said that three quarters of the time spent preparing meals is devoted to food preparation. Spending a little time preparing the Master Mixes will save you a great deal of time later on in cooking healthy, convenient and fast meals with little prep time. Once this Master Meat Mix recipe has been cooked I like to use plastic freezer bags rather than freezer containers as they can be stacked flat to conserve freezer space. The individual packets can be thawed quickly in a microwave, or in just a few minutes by placing it in pan of warm water. After the Master Meat Mix has been thawed, it can't be used for a variety of family meals if using regular cookware. Frozen Assets With a pressure cooker, there is no need to thaw the frozen or thawed packages prior to using the Master meat mix in preparing a recipe such as Chili, Sloppy Joes, Spanish rice, Spaghetti, Lasagna, Stroganoff or Taco meat. I recommend packing the cooked Master Meat Mix in plastic freezer bags - either the ziploc type or the foodsaver type - and freezing them flat. The flat packets can be used in recipes WITHOUT thawing, but if you pack the mixture into containers then they should be thawed before combining the meat into a recipe.. Master Meat Mix Americans are very fond of ground beef. Not only is it tasty, economical, versatile and nutritious, but it's also very easy to prepare and that makes ground beef a popular choice for busy families. This recipe will give you 5, 1 pound packages of cooked, seasoned ground beef ready to use in your favorite recipe. 5 lb. lean ground beef 2 1/2 c. chopped onions 1/2 tsp. black pepper 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed dried oregano Heat the pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Crumble beef into pressure cooker and break it up in small pieces of uniform size. When red color disappears, add 1/2 cup water, the onions, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic and oregano. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 8 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Transfer the cooked meat mixture to a large colander and drain thoroughly. Cool and divide into 5 portions of approximately 1 pound each, label and freeze flat for later use. Cook's Note #1: I don't add any salt in the Master Meat Mix recipe. By waiting until I use the basic meat mix in a planned recipe, I can then salt as needed and not have the dish come out too salty because of the salt in both the meat and in the recipe. Cook's Note #2: Ground beef is labeled for fat content from a maximum of 30% to a very lean 5% and even 2% fat. Even if you buy the less expensive, higher fat package of ground beef, you can still eliminate much of the excess fat by draining and rinsing the meat after cooking. After the meat has cooked, and while it is still hot, transfer the ground beef to a colander and allow the fat to drain away. Place the colander in the sink and rinse the cooked meat with very hot water which will wash away any remaining surface fat.