How to quickly defrost meat at home: methods for defrosting meat. How to properly defrost meat in the microwave, without a microwave, in a slow cooker, oven, water, refrigerator, at room temperature

If dinner needs to be served as quickly as possible and there is simply no time to slowly prepare the meat, a microwave oven will come to your aid. With its help, you can quickly and efficiently defrost even a very large piece of fillet. The main thing is to approach this issue correctly and follow all the simple rules of short-term defrosting.

How to properly defrost meat in the microwave: tips and tricks

One of the convenient and quick options for quickly defrosting meat products is the use of microwave ovens. These kitchen units, as a rule, have the specified function.

How to use this method correctly:

remove a piece of meat from its packaging
place it in a microwave-safe dish (glass or ceramic)
cover with a lid
place in the oven and set to “defrost”
after 3 minutes, turn the product over
microwave again on defrost mode for three minutes
repeat similar manipulations until the meat is completely defrosted (about 3 - 4 similar cycles)
After thawing, let the meat sit at room temperature for about half an hour

It should be noted that modern models themselves count down the thawing time and sound a beep when the meat needs to be turned over. And in some microwave ovens you need to enter the weight of the product into the program, set the desired mode, and the device itself will calculate the required time.

Defrosting in the microwave

It should be noted that this defrosting method, although quite fast, still has a number of significant disadvantages:

The product is defrosting unevenly. This is especially true for large pieces or a whole poultry carcass, which has different meat thicknesses on different sides.
food may have an unpleasant odor
small pieces can simply be cooked
the liquid from the product evaporates at an accelerated rate, and the dish ultimately turns out not so tasty and juicy
You will need increased attention to the process in order to turn the piece over in time and not miss the right moment
You should not resort to this method if the piece of meat is too large, as it will remain raw on the inside and dry out or baked on the outside.

As you can see, this thawing option is very controversial. Therefore, we advise you to use it only in an emergency.

Reheat the dough: do it right

It is better to defrost the dough in the microwave in a medium-depth saucer or plate. This way it will heat up more evenly - the top will quickly warm up in the deep part, but the dough in the middle will remain frozen.

The sheet dough needs to be thawed in a large flat plate (such as an Ardesto Bagheria) - the fewer folds there are, the better. This way it won't tear when you take it out while it's warm. It’s better to heat the flour like this:

Turn on the microwave oven for 60-80 seconds. If you heat longer, the top edge of the dough will be baked.
Turn the dough over and microwave for a minute . Repeat until the dough is soft.
If the dough gets hot, let it cool. Usually up to 10 minutes is enough.

To prevent the yeast dough from weathering in the air, we recommend covering the plate with a napkin or cling film.

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How to properly defrost meat in a slow cooker: tips and tricks

Increasingly, a useful and convenient device – a multicooker – takes its place of honor in the modern kitchen. Many housewives appreciated its capabilities. This household appliance also does an excellent job of defrosting meat.

How the process is carried out:

place the meat, after removing its packaging, into the basket that is included in the package
pour water into the bowl of the device
set the device to “Steam cooking” mode
do not cover with a lid
after 8-20 minutes. (based on weight) the product will be defrosted

It is believed that this method allows the meat to preserve all its taste properties.

General Tips

General tips will be useful to every cook. So, keep the following in mind:

You should not use an oven (oven) to defrost meat, as this promotes the growth of pathogenic microflora. Such meat will be harmful to eat. For the same reasons, to speed up the defrosting process, it is not advisable to place the product on the battery.
If you need to defrost frozen boiled or smoked meat at home, you can use any of the methods described above. Each one is suitable.
Remember that freezing meat should be as fast as possible, and defrosting as slow as possible. This way it is possible to preserve the protein structure and nutritional properties of the product.
It is not advisable to re-freeze defrosted meat. This leads to the final destruction of protein molecules, which guarantees destructive changes in the structure of the meat. Research by scientists has shown that in a once frozen meat product, the protein content is reduced by half, and when re-frozen, it tends to zero. In other words, a repeatedly frozen product is a collection of useless fibers.
It is not advisable to freeze meat in large pieces, since subsequent defrosting will be quite problematic and time-consuming.
Remember that frozen meat can be stored for up to twenty-four months if the temperature is kept below freezing at all times.

In principle, there is nothing complicated in defrosting meat for any purpose (cooking in a frying pan or grill, cooking soup or broth, creating barbecue, preparing jellied meat or pancakes with meat, etc.). Remember that the most gentle and safe way is to defrost food in the refrigerator. After this, the food can be stored for up to five days. When choosing other defrosting methods (using cold/hot water, microwave, multicooker, double boiler), the product must be cooked immediately.

How to defrost meat in the oven?

Defrosting meat products in the oven has a number of advantages over other methods:

defrosting occurs more evenly
the process is significantly accelerated
the meat inside the chamber does not become chapped or dry out
the fibers retain their structure and meat juice does not leak out

Many modern models of ovens even have a defrosting function, which greatly facilitates the housewife’s work. In the event that your household appliances do not have such characteristics, meat can be defrosted in two ways.

Thaw meat in the oven

With temperature (accelerated method):

Set the cabinet temperature to 30 degrees
remove the packaging from the meat
place in the oven for 8-10 minutes
Check the defrost level periodically

Be careful not to overdo it with the temperature, otherwise your product will not thaw, but will bake: the inside will remain raw, and a crust will form on top.

Using convection (longer process):

turn on the convection mode, if present on your device
do not use the heating option
place the product in the center of the rack

The fan creates air movement, which allows for more even defrosting. The product ultimately retains its beneficial qualities and is practically no different from fresh analogues.

Basic recommendations for thawing food in the oven:

place the plate with meat on the grill
It is better to use ceramic dishes
you can cover the piece with some kind of bowl or plate - this will slow down the process a little, but the meat will turn out more tender and will not dry out
Turn the product periodically for more even thawing.

Steam defrosting

Defrosting using steam is an excellent way to achieve gentle thawing of meat, without disturbing the density of muscle tissue or destroying the structure. This method is best used for small pieces.

The process of using steam looks like this:

place the pieces on the bottom tray of the multicooker;
select the steam cooking mode;
run the program;
After the product has slightly thawed, transfer it to a higher tray.

Steam can be used in the oven:

place the pieces in a heat-resistant container;
place on the oven tray;
turn on the oven at 35 degrees;
Monitor the process and turn the meat in a timely manner.

The main disadvantage of this method is the gradual disappearance of moisture, which leads to external drying of the product, with ice remaining inside.

How to defrost meat in water?

Using water to defrost large pieces of meat or small semi-finished products is a common option for many housewives.

In this case, you can use different water.

Hot:

place the meat in a sealable bag
heat the water to about 60 degrees
put the bag in a pot of water
after 5-10 minutes, remove and place in a bowl of water at room temperature
keep it like this for 20-25 minutes

In this way, a piece of pork weighing about a kilogram is defrosted within 30 - 40 minutes. It is possible that if the piece is large enough, the meat will not defrost completely and will not be suitable for cooking steaks or chops. However, for stewing, baking, etc., this method is quite acceptable.

Cold:

place the wrapped meat in a deep container
fill with ice water
Additionally, you can add crushed ice to the bowl
Change the water periodically to keep it cold or add new ice.

Defrosting meat in
salted water:

meat must be removed from packaging
make a concentrated solution of water and salt
send a piece there
wait 15-20 minutes
When preparing the dish, keep in mind that the meat has already been salted

This method is accelerated due to the fact that salt activates heat exchange, and the product defrosts faster and more evenly.

Flow-through:

place the meat product in a bowl
place in the sink under the tap
open the tap so that water (cold or warm) flows in a thin stream onto the meat

When using the methods listed above, keep in mind the general rules:

defrost the meat in a bag so that the water does not affect the structure of the fibers
in the case when products are defrosted without packaging, the water must be changed quite often (every 20 minutes), since microorganisms multiply quickly in it
When defrosting the liver, add milk to the water - this will make it more tender.

Defrosting various types of meat - chicken, beef, pork, rabbit, barbecue meat

Each type of meat is defrosted using a specific technology. It will determine what the final taste of the finished dish will be, as well as how well the nutritional elements will be preserved.

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There are several recommendations in this regard:

Beef (steaks, small pieces) is best defrosted in water heated to 40°C. As soon as the product becomes soft, it should be cooked immediately; if the meat is whole, then it is kept in cold water or waited for natural thawing in the refrigerator.
Pork should not be kept in hot water, as this loses its juiciness, the finished dish becomes tough and becomes unappetizing and tasteless. If you need to start cooking urgently, it is better to use running tap water.
To preserve the juiciness of the kebab, you need to place the meat pieces on a baking sheet, which have previously been placed in a sealed bag. And press them down with a pan of hot water on top. Thanks to the press and heat, the kebab will be ready for frying in just 15 minutes.
The rabbit is defrosted using the same technology as chicken. If you need to do this quickly, you can put the carcass in salt liquid. Emergency methods of defrosting, this applies to household appliances and batteries, should be used only in exceptional cases when there is no other option. This is especially true for the most tender rabbit and chicken meat.

Which water is better to defrost meat: hot or cold?

To answer the question of what temperature water is best to defrost poultry or meat, you need to understand what is more important to you at the moment - the speed of thawing or the preservation of the beneficial properties of the product.

If you need to defrost meat as quickly as possible, then use warm water. Please note - not hot. Because high temperatures negatively affect the quality of meat and contribute to:

protein breakdown
active formation of harmful microorganisms and bacteria
decreased taste of food

According to chefs, it is correct to defrost meat in very cold, even ice-cold water. This method is considered more useful and safer for the following reasons:

the products remain fresh and practically do not lose their quality
thawing occurs evenly to the very middle of the piece
the product retains its juiciness

The operating principle of a microwave oven in simple words

People are put off by the unknown. Some people, on principle, do not cook meat in the microwave because they consider this device a harmful invention. They say that food is irradiated, vitamins and microelements are destroyed, and carcinogens are formed inside. Sometimes housewives refuse to heat meat in the microwave for another reason: the product turns out dry and bland.

Let's see how a microwave oven works. Let's find out whether it's worth giving it up if you're going to cook juicy meat.

When you turn on the device, short electromagnetic waves appear inside. They move at the speed of light - almost 300 km/s.
Microwaves can set dipole molecules in motion. The latter are present in water, fat, sugar, and minerals. That is, in most food products.
Initially, molecules in food are arranged randomly. But under the influence of microwaves they line up in the direction of the electric field. Due to the vibrations of molecules at high speed, a frictional force arises, which heats the product.

As soon as you turn off the appliance, the microwaves disappear. They cannot linger in food, as they are immediately converted into heat energy. It's as if you turned off a light bulb and the light in the room went out.

In the microwave, vitamins and minerals do not leak out of food, as during cooking. For cooking, food does not need a large amount of vegetable oil - the main culprit in the formation of carcinogens.

We recommend: 5 ways to get rid of burning smell in the microwave

How to defrost meat in the refrigerator?

The most correct and useful method of defrosting any food, including meat, is to place it in the refrigerator. This preserves the nutritional value of all semi-finished products.

How to do it right:

Without removing the packaging from the meat product, place it in a bowl so that moisture can drain there
place in the refrigerator for a day on the shelf where the lowest temperature is maintained
When the piece is almost defrosted, take it out and keep it at room temperature (this
need to be done about a couple of hours before cooking)
if you don’t have that much time, put the meat in water for 15 minutes

You can check how much liquid has collected in the plate after defrosting. The quality of the meat product is determined by its quantity - the less water, the faster and more correctly it was frozen.

Defrosting in the refrigerator

Remember that the meat must be thawed to room temperature before cooking. It is thanks to this:

it will cook evenly
the taste of the finished dish will be more tender and rich
loss of vitamins will be reduced to a minimum

In cases where you have enough time, defrost the meat in the refrigerator. This is the most useful and safest method. In addition, as a bonus, you will save a little on electricity: the cold emanating from the ice product helps reduce the frequency of the compressor turning on.

How to defrost meat at room temperature?

Many people, in order to defrost pieces of meat, simply take them out of the freezer and leave them indoors. In principle, this method is quite effective and simple. However, it has significant disadvantages:

Meat should not be left in the air for more than two hours to avoid creating favorable conditions for the proliferation of harmful bacteria.
a piece weighing more than one and a half kilograms, defrosted to the middle, will become weathered on top and covered with an unpleasant film

Defrosting at room temperature
In order to avoid the above troubles, when using the specified option for defrosting meat products, follow these rules

defrost food in a bowl to prevent any dripping liquid from staining the table
cover with a kitchen towel
choose not very large pieces
Before starting the process, remove the protective packaging
you can cover the meat in a plate with a warm rag (iron it or dip it in hot water and wring it out) - this will significantly speed up the result.

Ready meals and semi-finished products: 3 minutes and dinner is ready

Before placing food from the refrigerator in the microwave, you need to remove its protective packaging and place it in a microwave-safe container. It usually has a microwave oven icon on it.

Simply transfer the pizza and pancakes from the box to a plate of the appropriate size. If the dish does not fit in the oven, cut into several servings.

Following the advice, even those who have never done this before will be able to defrost food safely in the microwave.

By the way: How to choose the right microwave - instructions in 5 sections

How to speed up the defrosting of meat, how to quickly thaw meat: the fastest way

Despite the arguments of experts about the benefits of slowly thawing food, sometimes situations arise when we need to defrost ice-cold meat as quickly as possible. To speed up the thawing process, use the advice of experienced chefs:

If the piece is wrapped in thick plastic, remove it. It is better to wrap the product in thin cling film or a bag, first releasing the air from there
When the meat has thawed a little, cut it into smaller pieces - they will defrost much faster
It is quite acceptable to defrost chopped meat or minced meat in a microwave or oven, since juiciness is not expected from it in the finished dish. And semi-finished products in the form of cutlets or meatballs don’t need to be thawed at all, but you can start cooking right away (start by frying until crusty, and then finish cooking in the oven)

Many Internet users speak positively about the emergency method of defrosting meat, the essence of which is as follows:

heat the water to 52 degrees
put a piece of meat there wrapped in thin plastic
stir the water - this is a very important condition, since the meat thaws precisely thanks to the circulation of the liquid

Unfortunately, this method cannot be called very convenient, since it is difficult to heat the water exactly to 52 degrees. In addition, the need to constantly stir the water deprives a person of the opportunity to do other things.

Defrost meat quickly

A more reliable method seems to be proper freezing of products, which will subsequently speed up the thawing process:

Before storing in the freezer, cut pieces of meat into small portions
For convenience, sign all food packages
Fresh minced meat is stored for no more than a day, since the process of reproduction of microorganisms in minced meat occurs at an accelerated pace. You need to freeze it in small portions, putting it in a bag and rolling it out (this way you can compactly mark it out in the freezer, and then thaw it faster)
Wash large pieces of meat first in water, then dry and only then pack in plastic
freeze food at maximum power (many modern units have a “super freeze” option)

Of course, cooked fresh meat has excellent taste and greater juiciness. However, in most cases, when tasting a dish, a person has no idea that the product was previously frozen if all thawing rules are followed.