The cold truth about defrosting food

Preserving food by freezing helps food have a longer shelf life, and at the same time ensures food safety during this time. However, the process of defrosting food always requires quite strict conditions. So what is the right way to defrost meat?

Food defrosting is the process of converting food from a solid state (ice crystals) to a liquid state while preserving the properties of the product before freezing.
Properly defrosting meat has a very important role to ensure food safety when food is used to provide daily nutrients for the body. According to the law of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the regulated temperature of food during defrosting cannot be higher than 4 degrees Celsius. To accomplish and ensure this requirement, there must be a plan in advance. for a suitable method of defrosting food.

2.1. Don't defrost foods on the counter You take a packet of chicken breasts out of the freezer and place them on the counter to defrost. When you get home from work, the meat has been defrosted and you're ready to cook. This may sound like a good idea, but it's not safe for you to use meats thawed this way. Any type of food can go bad, such as: raw or cooked meat, poultry, and eggs must be thawed at safe temperatures. When frozen food is defrosted at more than 4 degrees or room temperature for more than 2 hours with this temperature and time it will be a good environment in the food for bacteria to multiply quickly.
2.2. Don't be fooled by a freezing center The outer areas of frozen foods usually defrost first in the center of the food. This means they are in the danger zone of bacteria, even if other parts are still frozen.
2.3. Defrosting in the fridge is recommended Defrost in the refrigerator takes longer, but the refrigerator is the safest way to make sure your food stays 4 degrees Celsius or below while defrosting. For ground meat or chicken breast it takes all day to do this. Foods with larger cut sizes, like frozen turkey, need 24 hours/2.3kg to defrost food. Use the bottom shelf of the refrigerator so that nothing leaks during defrosting onto other foods.

2.4. Should be flexible in the defrosting process The defrosting method in the refrigerator is quite time consuming. Ground beef, casseroles, poultry, and seafood can be refrigerated for a day or two before cooking. Red meat dishes like steak and pork chops last 3 to 5 days. With any other safe defrosting method, you need to cook the food right away. If the food is still frozen and you change your mind, it's safe to put it back in the freezer for another day.
2.5. You should always make sure that your refrigerator is set to 4 degrees Celsius and your freezer is 0 degrees Celsius. The lower the temperature you set, the longer your food will take to defrost.
2.6. Don't defrost food in hot water Defrosting food in hot water can be quicker, but it's not always safe. Hot water melts food quickly, but it also raises the temperature past the 4°C mark. Not only does this create a good environment for bacteria to start growing, but the meat can start to cook before you even cook it.
2.7. Defrost foods by thawing in cold water This method is faster than the refrigerator but takes a little more work. Fill the sink or small bucket with cold tap water. If the meat is vacuum packed, it can be added directly. If not, put it in a leak-proof bag so nothing can get in or out. Make sure food is covered and change the water every 30 minutes. You can defrost 0.5kg of meat in an hour. If you defrost anything this way, you must cook the food immediately.

2.8. Do not defrost in hot places The lists of food defrost locations you find online look interesting, such as: you can defrost turkey in the dishwasher, but here is one of several possible methods of food poisoning. Do not defrost food in the dishwasher or garage, basement, or on your back porch, no matter how cold it is outside.

2.9. Can defrost in the microwave You can defrost food using the microwave mode. Although safe, this method is not popular because food does not always defrost evenly. However they are very good, especially for ground meat. You must immediately cook anything you defrost in the microwave, even if you plan to re-freeze it. Remember to remove all packaging and use a microwave-safe container.
2.10. Do not put frozen food in the slow cooker The slow cooker helps to cook food until tender, but do not use it to defrost meat, as it will cook some or all of the meat. Also, do not start slow recipes with frozen meat or poultry. Because the meat will stay too long in the danger zone of bacteria before it is fully cooked.
2.11. Use an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker A pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot, heats frozen foods quickly. They don't spend too much time in the bacterial danger zone and are safe to eat.
With the above food defrosting methods you can refer to and apply. Because in fact, defrosting food needs to be done properly so that bacteria do not get inside and the nutritional content of the food does not disappear.

Reference source: webmd.com