How to quickly defrost meat: useful advice to housewives

Contents:

  • Correct defrost
  • Microwave
  • Water
  • Multivarker( steamer)
  • On air
  • How to freeze meat?

Mistresses periodically face the question: how quickly to defrost the meat? In life, unforeseen circumstances happen: unexpected guests have suddenly come to you or you simply forgot to get chicken or pork from the freezer before leaving for work. With the advent of the microwave oven, the problem of rapid defrosting became less common. However, many avoid this method, considering it harmful.

How to unfreeze meat without losing its properties? The most popular methods:

  1. in the refrigerator( the most correct and useful method);
  2. in the microwave( fast, however, the wrong way);
  3. in water;
  4. in the multivark( or steamer);
  5. in air at room temperature.

Correct Defrosting

For housewives who are racking their brains over how to quickly defrost the meat without losing taste and softness, there is bad news. Thawed meat will remain juicy and tasty if it takes at least 12 hours to defrost. Ideally, it should be in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

There are two basic rules:

  1. freeze - as fast as possible;
  2. defrost - as slow as possible.

Since freezing meat products in the production, you can only ensure the proper defrosting. Defrost whole pieces of meat, chicken or minced meat needed in the refrigerator. How much time it takes will depend on the size of the piece and the temperature in the refrigerator. Do not cook pork, beef or chicken until it is completely thawed. The temperature in the refrigerator should be 2 to 4 degrees above zero.

If you are going to bake a goose, it will take two days. The rule for defrosting meat products extends to pork, beef, lamb, poultry and all kinds of fish. Remember: you can not re-freeze foods that have been defrosted.

Advice

Do not freeze fresh meat in huge chunks: it will freeze for a long time and will be defrosted for a long time.

Microwave

Most people are puzzled why it is not possible to use the auto-defrost function in the microwave, which is very convenient and fast. Defrost products in the microwave oven can, however, the taste and juiciness of meat from this noticeably affected. It is best to leave the product in the refrigerator until completely thawed.

It is important to correctly set the defrosting time. How much the product is thawed depends on the size of the piece and the temperature of the frost. Most microwave ovens themselves determine the time it takes to defrost. You need to set the weight of the product, and the microwave oven sets how many minutes the process will last. Chicken fillet, which usually weighs 200-300 g, is thawed for 5-7 minutes. A defrosting of a whole carcass of chicken or a large piece of pork can take up to 30 minutes.

Using a microwave oven saves time. Household assistant helps, when you need to cook a meat dish "in a hurry."However, the microwave oven also has many drawbacks.

  • Thawed meat loses its juiciness and becomes stiff.
  • On top of the meat product can be "cooked", and inside it remains icy.
  • Fish after defrosting in the microwave can weld or lose elasticity.

Tip

Stop the microwave every three minutes and turn the product over.

Water

If you do not have time for the correct 12-hour defrost in the refrigerator, you can shorten the time to 2-3 hours. There are two "water" options for defrosting: in cold and hot water. The first way is more correct, but it takes a lot of time. The use of hot water will speed up the process, but will reduce the taste of the finished meat dish.

  1. Cold water .The procedure will take from 1 to 3 hours. It is desirable to defrost the chicken, beef or pork under running water. You can pour water into a container and put a meat product in it in a sealed bag. How long it will take for the meat to become soft depends on its size.
  2. Hot water .This method is suitable for impatient housewives. The meat or poultry thawed in hot water will be stiff and tasteless. In addition, in a warm, moist environment, bacteria that are dangerous to human health multiply rapidly.

If you decide to defrost the product in water, place it in a bag. You can use only cold water.

Multivarker( Steamer)

There is another popular method for defrosting chicken and pork at home. To do this, you need a steaming mode. A frozen meat piece is spread in a special basket, water is poured into the bowl of the multivarquet and the necessary program is installed. How much time it will take to defrost depends on a piece of meat. It is necessary to periodically look under the lid, so that pork, chicken or beef is not cooked.

In air

This method is similar to defrosting in a refrigerator, but the temperature is much higher. Meat should be taken from the freezer, placed in a bowl and covered with a towel or warm cloth. The higher the temperature "overboard", the faster the product will defrost.

How to freeze meat?

Having found out how to properly defrost meat, you need to learn the rules of freezing.

  1. Only fresh product can be frozen. If it has been pre-thawed, it can not be placed in the freezer. The prepared dish will be tough and tasteless. There may be a musty smell.
  2. It is necessary to freeze portioned pieces. In advance, divide a large piece of fresh into convenient portions( for cooking a dish on a family).Put the prepared portions in sealed bags, let out excess air.
  3. Freeze meat products at -24 ° C.The meat is stored for up to 24 months if there are no temperature changes in the freezer.
  4. Do not freeze the product in a retail package. After buying, wash it and place it in a clean, sealed bag. In this form, send to the freezer.

So, the quality of the defrosted product depends on how much time you are willing to spend on defrosting. Try to plan your menu in advance for tomorrow and thaw meat products only in the refrigerator.

We recommend that you read an article on how and how much to cook a chicken breast