What is the wrong way to defrost frozen food and which one is correct?
Defrosting food is very important when we are in a hurry to cook. For defrosting, there are various methods from hot water to using a microwave, and it's best to learn the correct method.
Housekeeping star - For better food preservation, it goes in the fridge and freezer. But when we take food out of the freezer, we have to defrost it before eating it. In such a situation, there are many ways, including eating food under hot water or using a microwave. But what is really the best way? In the next article, we will talk about defrosting food the right way.
Wrong ways to unfreeze food
There are different ways to defrost food. But sometimes you are in the habit of using an inappropriate method of opening the ice and may jeopardize the quality and health of the food. Among these wrong approaches, the following can be mentioned.
1. Thaw food at room temperature and in the open air
One of the things many people do to defrost food is to put frozen foods outdoors. It is not correct to put frozen food in an ambient temperature such as a kitchen. The reason for this is that bacteria grow better at normal ambient temperature and when food ice breaks open, bacteria are more attracted to it.
2. Unfreeze food with hot water
Another method often seen in homes is placing frozen food in a bowl of hot water or placing it under a hot water tap. If you choose any of these methods to defrost your food, you are wrong. This method, like the previous one, causes rapid growth and multiplication of bacteria. Also, using this method causes vegetables to lose their flavor.
3. Use the microwave to defrost food
If you store food such as vegetables or types of cooking dough in your freezer and decide to defrost it, do not use the microwave. Microwaving this category of food will cause it to lose its appearance and quality.
Did you know that some foods should not be stored in the freezer? In this article, there are 19 foods that should never be put in the freezer! Get to know them!
Correct ways to defrost frozen food
Each category of food has its own way of defrosting and it is better to use its own method of defrosting it.
1. The right way to defrost meat
Meat is one of those foods that need to be frozen for a longer period. That is why care must be taken when opening the ice so that its quality does not decrease.
A correct way to thaw meat is to place it in a bowl of cold water. Be careful not to put the meat in another plastic bag and seal the container. Change the water in the container every half hour until the meat food is completely frozen.
Another safe and convenient way to thaw frozen meat is to put it in the refrigerator. To use this method, it is best to place the meat in a bowl and leave it in the coldest part of the refrigerator until it thaws. This method is very time consuming, but it is the best method from a hygiene point of view, as there will be no possibility of harmful bacteria growing in the process.
Note: If you thaw frozen meat, do not freeze it again, because its quality will decrease. Meat can be refrozen if you have thawed the meat in the refrigerator.
2. The right way to defrost fruits and vegetables
Vegetables are another category of foods that we freeze for use when we don't have access to fresh vegetables. But be careful if you use the wrong methods of defrosting vegetables, their quality will decrease.
To defrost vegetables, you can use the previously mentioned methods of defrosting meat, but with these methods the quality of vegetables will decrease. To prevent a decrease in the quality of frozen vegetables, it is best to boil and cook them while they are frozen. That is, when you need all kinds of vegetables for cooking, use them in frozen form in preparing your food.
It's good to know that you can freeze green beans in two ways. These methods are explained in detail in the article on freezing green beans by blanching or raw.
3. Defrost all kinds of sweets and bread in an appropriate manner
Bread is one of the foods that are always available in homes. Bread is frozen to prevent mold and spoilage and to appear fresh when used. But if you want the quality of the bread not to drop, you should take some time to defrost it.
Be careful that in order to defrost bread and desserts, they must be brought to room temperature before use. This method is only suitable for desserts and bread, and other foods such as meat should not be defrosted in this way.
In order not to reduce the quality of bread and desserts during freezing, it is preferable to refrigerate the bread. If you freeze bread while it's warm, you've set the conditions for mold to grow.
Use the microwave to defrost
One of the appliances that can be seen in many homes today is the microwave. This appliance is used to cook or defrost food. Of course, in the previous sections, it was mentioned not to use this device to defrost food. But due to the high speed of this device in defrosting, it is often used to defrost frozen meat.
Defrosting meat with the help of a microwave, be sure to cook it immediately, as part of the meat may be cooked in the microwave.
It is not recommended to use a microwave oven to open other foods, as it greatly reduces the quality of that food.
Microwave settings for defrosting
To get started, remove the meat from the packaging and place it in a special microwave dish. If you want to prevent the meat from cooking, it is best to place it in the middle of the plate.
After placing the meat in the microwave, press the defrost button. Then it will ask you to weigh the meat so it can calculate the time it takes for the meat to see heat. Of course, check the meat every few minutes and measure how much ice has melted by stopping the microwave and touching the meat. If necessary, continue to defrost by microwave.
After the meat is completely defrosted, it is best to cook it quickly so that the quality of the meat does not deteriorate. Because the meat in this case is suitable for the growth of bacteria.
The conclusion
Freezing food is essential to keep it healthy for a long time. But thawing takes a long time when we need frozen foods. In this article, we mentioned the best ways to defrost food so that you can do it in the shortest time and in the best and healthiest way.
