Have you ever found yourself at a loss for what to make for dinner? By the time you’ve decided, it’s already close to dinner time, and the meat you need is still frozen. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), here’s the best way to thaw meat quickly. This method will defrost any type of meat or seafood. How fast it works depends on the size and shape of the frozen item. Small packages up to 1 pound will be ready to cook in 1 hour or less.
Instructions
- Place the frozen meat in an airtight plastic bag and remove as much air as possible. If your item is already in a vacuum-packed plastic bag, you can defrost it as is. Inspect the packaging for holes so the meat isn’t exposed to bacteria from the surrounding environment. Also, protecting the meat from water will prevent waterlogging.
- Submerge the plastic bag into cold tap water. Make sure the water is cold and keep the frozen item fully submerged. You may need to weigh it down.
- Change out the water every 30 minutes to encourage faster thawing.
Some things to keep in mind
Meat frozen in a flat or thinner form like steaks, fish fillets or ground meat that is spread out thin and flattened will thaw more quickly than a thick brick of ground meat or a tightly packed mass of chicken wings. If possible, freeze your items with this in mind.
You can also defrost larger size parcels with this method. For example, if you’re trying to thaw a whole turkey, plan for each pound to take about 30 minutes. So a large turkey may take several hours to thaw completely. And, once anything’s defrosted using this method, you should cook it immediately before returning it to the fridge or freezer.
Some defrost don’ts
Do not leave frozen meat on the counter or thaw using hot water. Both of these methods allow the frozen meat to enter the “‘Danger Zone,’ between 40 and 140° F-temperatures where bacteria multiply rapidly” (1).
A final thought
Lastly, some meats can be cooked in a frozen state and still taste fine-for example, ground meats and even steaks. If you know a few tricks, cooking a steak from a frozen state might even be preferable. For stir fry, leave the core of the meat frozen to cut thinner slices.
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Publications
(1) “Food Safety and Inspection Service.” The Big Thaw - Safe Defrosting Methods | Food Safety and Inspection Service, www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/big-thaw-safe-defrosting-methods.
