If you have frozen meat, and you plan to cook something meaty, then you need first to defrost it. If meat is completely thawed and you aren’t in the mood to cook it, but bet online or watch your favorite Netflix show, you can keep it well in a refrigerator for a couple of days. At first sight, thawing meat seems to be very easy, but there are several ways to do it. Which method of defrosting meat is right for you? Read on to know more!
Defrosting Meat In The Refrigerator
This method of defrosting meat is the slowest yet safest one. Wrap the frozen meat in a package or sealed container and move it to the lower portion of the fridge. Leave it there for several hours or days.
Defrosting Meat Outside A Refrigerator At A Room Temperature
This method belongs to the common ones. To defrost meat at room temperature, take it from the freezer and leave it on the kitchen table or other piece of furniture. This defrosting method is simple and does not require the use of any additional devices. Meat defrosts relatively quickly, especially in a warm room and in the summer. However, at room temperature, pathogenic microorganisms begin to multiply rapidly in the pulp. Subsequently, this can lead to infection with dangerous infections. After defrosting this way, the meat may change its texture and become excessively soft. This will make slicing more difficult and can affect the taste of the dish.
Defrosting Meat In Cold Water
This method of defrosting meat is perfect if you’re in a rush. It takes only several hours, and you won’t need to wait for meat to defrost for hours. Many people defrost meat in water, but some make the mistake of immersing it in hot water. In this case, the product will lose its structure and density and acquire an unpleasant loose texture. So the water should be exclusively cold or even ice-cold. And don’t remove the meat from its package, so that it does not come into contact with bacteria.
If the container is no longer available, you can do without it. However, it is better to put meat in a water-proof package. Thanks to this natural increase in temperature, the meat remains dense and juicy. However poor quality tap water can impart unpleasant flavors or foreign odors to the meat. Therefore, it is important to use filtered, mineral, or bottled water for defrosting meat. Another problem is that it is not always possible to find a container of suitable size for a large piece of meat.
Defrosting Meat In The Oven
Some housewives defrost meat in the oven. To do that, take the meat from the package and place it on a tray or in a low form for baking in the oven. Preheat the oven to a minimum temperature of 30 degrees. As the near defrost, turn the meat over. It is also desirable to apply the convection function with hot steam to defrost meat in this way. This method of defrosting meat is fast and preserves its taste and texture. Unfortunately, not every oven can be heated to such low temperatures. And without the convection mode, the meat may dry out and lose some of its properties.
Defrosting Meat In A Microwave Oven
How can you quickly defrost meat, if it is frozen, and guests or hungry children and husband are about to be home? In a microwave oven! Remove the meat from its package, place it in a plate or a special microwave container, cover it with a lid, and put it in the appliance, select the “fast defrosting” option. Defrosting meat in a microwave is very quick and can take half an hour. Pathogenic bacteria do not have time to penetrate the pulp and start multiplying. However, not all microwave ovens have the “fast defrosting” option. And if you use the standard mode, the meat in the microwave will simply boil on the outside.
Final Thoughts + Some Additional Tops On Defrosting Meat
As you can see, thawing meat is easy, you just need to know how to do it. Each defrosting method has its advantages and disadvantages, however, I would personally recommend you choose slow defrosting in a refrigerator. Defrosting meat at room temperature can encourage the growth of bacteria in the meat. I would also recommend you defrost meat in its “native” vacuum packaging or in food film. Then the foreign odors and substances, as well as bacteria don’t get in the inside of meat. In addition, the casing will preserve the useful properties, flavor, and juiciness of meat. And it is better to take care of defrosting in advance and not try to speed up the process. It may spoil the product and encourage the growth of bacteria. And never cook from frozen meat!