Lazy. Yes, it applies to me. Unless I am mixing in stuff like onions and seasoning, I use frozen patties because its easier.
And no, you dont throw frozen chicken on the grill because they are too thick. Frozen patties are no big deal as they thaw quickly because they are thin. I do toss frozen poultry directly on the grill... when I am forced to cook turkey burgers.
What a shame. Freezing adds additional tenderizing to the meat by way of what the ice crystals do to the structure of the meat. Knowing the science, I'd take my cow, butcher it, dry age the steaks, then freeze them. That last step while sounding sacrilegious, actually adds additional tenderness to the meat.
And do you ever buy meat in the self serve meat case at the store? Odds are it was frozen for transit and storage. They just thaw it for you so it looks fresh. I have seen the [STRIKE]butcher[/STRIKE] meat dept employee putting them out firsthand. Many are still partially, if not totally frozen.
On a slightly related note... Forget the IQF frozen chicken you buy in the big bags. Make your own cheaper and BETTER! Ever notice that the pieces you get frozen are tiny compared to what you get "fresh"? My wife regularly finds "fresh" boneless chicken breasts on sale for far less per pound than the IQF bagged ones. We take a jelly roll pan, spray it with Pam, then place the "fresh" meat on it so that its not touching any other pieces. Stick that pan in the freezer for 90 minutes or so until its mostly frozen. At that point you can toss all the pieces in a ziplock bag to finish freezing. Thanks to the first step you wont end up with a giant hunk of frozen, amalgamated meat and can pull out individual pieces to cook later just like the more expensive IQF bags.
