Do you know how to defrost meat properly?

We all store meat in a freezer. But what do you do when you need to take it out and use it as quickly as possible? It is frozen solid and defrosting in a microwave is not the best way. We all know that.

Plan ahead

If you have a few hours, you are in luck. Take the meat out of the freezer and let it thaw at a room temperature. Place the meat, including the bag, in a bowl and give it enough time. This is the only way to prevent meat fibres from breaking down and to retain flavour and juiciness. Unfortunately, this is a lengthy process, which may take several hours. The best way is to do it overnight. It depends how much the meat is frozen and on the type of meat. Different meats react differently to cold.

Defrosting meat in a refrigerator takes even longer. You need to put the meat in a bowl too to catch water.

Microwave oven

The quickest way is far from being the healthiest, but what can you do when you do not have the time? This method does not offer any other benefits, except time saving, but if you only have a few minutes then microwave it is. Just make sure to set the timer correctly. If you overdo it, the ends of the meat will get hot and dry and you lose the taste. To reduce this negative effect, wrap the entire piece in an airtight foil. This trick is definitely not in line with the healthy trend, but if you have an emergency then you have to do what needs to be done, right?

Regular oven

Many ovens are smart these days and in addition to baking and grilling, they can also defrost. This method is not as invasive as defrosting in a microwave, but it takes a little longer. Defrosting is gradual and a little healthier, but you need to make sure that the meat has been completely defrosted before you bake it. Do not bake if the inside still frozen).

Photo: Pixabay

Cold bath

Again, if you don’t have enough time and don’t want to use a microwave oven, try a cold bath. Put the meat in a bowl of cold water. The temperature should be around 4 degrees of Celsius and the meat must be completely submerged. Water transfers heat better than air and makes the process a little bit faster.

Attention

Many of you are probably asking this question. Why defrost in a refrigerator or in cold water? If the temperature is raised by few degrees the entire process will be much accelerated, right? But hot water is not good. Hot water causes a temperature shock and promotes bacteria growth. This may cause health problems such as nausea for example. Uneven defrosting is not good either as hot water takes much longer to reach inside the meat and that is not good.

Source: napovime.cz, vlastní zkušenosti autora

Preview photo: Pixabay