meat defrosting tip: saves time and doesn't need microwave

[colorwheel]

i keep uncooked meat frozen in one-meal and two-meal amounts, and defrosting it is sometimes a bit of a challenge, because if i don't remember (or don't know) to take it out the night before and put it in the fridge, there was only the microwave defrost option, which sometimes started to cook it at the edges, or changed the texture in ways i disliked. and then i remembered an old tip from a best friend i used to live with!

take meat out of freezer and, leaving it still inside its sealed zipper-bag, insert it into a bowl of cold water. leave it out on the counter or even in the fridge -- it defrosts MUCH faster than simply being in the fridge (i don't know why) and ends up as regular raw meat, ready for cooking, not needing any microwave.

Comments

[amadi]

Definitely in the fridge, on the counter is not a safe method in terms of bacterial growth. :)

[technoshaman]

*in cool water* on the counter will be fine for a while. The trick is making sure the meat doesn't exceed 40F.

[amadi]

Which, short of hanging around with a thermometer gets kind of hard. I'm not sure it's worth the risk, especially for our members who might be dealing with immunosuppression or sensitive digestive systems.

[colorwheel]

true, i was only thinking of a short period of time: even like 15 minutes on the counter in a bowl of cold water does the trick, if the meat is thin. (and it's odd, because 15 min on the counter without the bowl of cold water totally would not do the trick.) is that safe?

[technoshaman]

Water has a much higher specific heat than air... in un-technical terms, even cool water has a lot more heat in it than the cold meat, and heat really wants to go where it ain't.

Thanks for the reminder!

[colorwheel]

wow, you know things! thanks for explaining. :)

[azurelunatic]

I'm not a materials engineer or I might be able to explain why, but water is a more effective material for heat transfer than air. A layer of unmoving air trapped between other materials can act as an insulator to prevent heat transfer (though it is not as effective an insulator as a vacuum such as in a fancy thermos).

[colorwheel]

thanks, this is interesting!