How do you defrost meat properly?
Probably every housewife has defrosted meat countless times in her life. Moreover, there are many ways to do it: using cold water, microwave oven or the top shelf of the refrigerator. Which method copes with the task better than the others, and which ones are better to forget...
The right way
The safest option is defrosting meat in the refrigerator. Moving the product from the freezer to a space with a temperature of +4 allows you not to lose useful properties. Muscle tissue in this case retains elasticity, does not lose elasticity, and the meat does not turn into a shapeless sluggish piece.
- Take the frozen chicken, beef or turkey out of the freezer and lay it out on a flat plate. This is to prevent liquid from accumulating on the surface of the shelf when thawing.
- Put the meat on any level of the refrigerator, just avoid the compartment in the door: there the temperature is much higher, respectively, there is a chance that bacteria will multiply in the meat.
- Wait a few hours. Exactly how long, depends on the mass of the carcass: a medium-sized chicken will defrost for about 8 hours, a large piece of lamb - all 16. It is most convenient to leave the product overnight in the refrigerator, and for this it is desirable to plan the menu in advance.
By the way, this method of defrosting will favorably affect the fish. Proceed according to the same scheme and do not forget about the plate.
At short notice
If you do not like to make plans or you do not have enough time for this, you can use the second method - defrost the meat in cold water. This is also a pretty safe method, the main thing is to close the product from direct contact with air.
- Take a large saucepan and pour into it ordinary cold water from the tap.
- Wrap the meat in a bag and put it on the bottom.
- Wait about an hour until the product becomes soft.
And how should you not defrost meat?
- First of all, try to avoid the microwave oven. If you do everything according to the instructions, namely - defrost at minimum power and periodically turn the meat, it will safely come to the desired shape, but it can become tough and less tasty.
- Secondly, you should not leave the product outdoors at room temperature. At this point, bacteria begin to multiply much faster. For the same reason, it is not recommended to defrost meat in hot water.
- Third, the multicooker and oven are not the best friends for frozen meat either. The problem is that along with the water, the natural moisture from the fillet goes away. It will be difficult to cut it, and it will be unpleasant to eat.
There is one more rule we can't help but mention. Thawed meat is not recommended to re-freeze.
It is best to stick to the first method, and then you will have juicy chicken breast, tasty beef and firm turkey!
