The process of thawing meat frozen in the freezer should be done very carefully so that no problems arise – for example, the growth of bacteria.
The most suitable way – slowly and evenly in the refrigerator, requires a long wait for it to defrost. But there are many people who, for various reasons, need to defrost meat quickly. Therefore, there are some tricks that the cook can use to speed up this process.
If you want to defrost meat in 10 minutes, do this (VIDEO)
Hot water
Heat water on a low heat and as soon as air bubbles start to form at the bottom, reduce the heat – the goal is not to get the water too hot! Place the meat in a plastic zip-lock bag; or, if you don’t have one, just in a plastic bag that you pack well so that no air remains and no water gets in. Leave the wrapped meat in some of the hot water for about 20 minutes. Replace the already used water with some of the remaining one every 5 minutes until the meat is thawed. And that’s it: your meat will be thawed!
Cold water
Another way to extreme defrost is to use the cold water method. It’s similar to the hot method, but has an alternate trick. Immerse the package (preferably an airtight ziplock bag) in a bowl of cold water and let it sit. Tip: add a few drops of vinegar to the water to speed up the process!
How to defrost meat CORRECTLY?
Inverted pan
Heat a pan – without getting too hot. Place it on a flat surface with the bottom facing up. Place the frozen piece of meat on the bottom of the pan. Fill a pot (or just another pan) with warm water and place it over the meat. In this way, the heat is transferred gradually and evenly to the meat, without it being overheated. Wait about 15 minutes. Tip: smaller pieces defrost faster. When the meat is thawed, it is desirable to cook it immediately. Additionally, waiting time will depend on the time and size of the cut selected.
There are other ways you can try at home.
With vinegar
The tip is to soak the meat in vinegar to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes to speed up thawing. This happens because the acid raises the temperature of the meat. You can then complete the process according to the methods described above using hot or cold water.
You can also do this: when you’re in a hurry, just take the frozen meat out of its packaging and pour white vinegar over it. Then let the meat marinate for about 15 minutes, as the vinegar will help raise its temperature. Then just wash the meat with water and go straight to the preparation of the dish – the meat is already marinated anyway!
Defrosting a freezer 10 times faster, here’s how the technicians do it
In the microwave
Defrosting meat in the microwave may seem like a simple task, but there are always surefire tricks that can speed up your work even more. Here are some tips on meat shape, microwave power, and more. This way you guarantee a juicy preparation for your dish.
In general, this is probably the most used method in everyday life to solve the problem. It’s very simple and there are no secret tricks, just follow the steps.
Separate the pieces of meat if they have stuck together during freezing. You put them in a deeper container, and the container in the microwave oven. If your microwave model allows you to adjust it, set it to half the maximum power or less, and keep an eye on it to prevent the meat from overheating. Check the degree of defrosting and, if you are satisfied, remove the container.
Before removing the meat from the microwave, the check is done by tasting whether the pieces in the middle have softened. If they are not, rearrange them and let them warm for a few more minutes, keeping an eye on them.
