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

Ways to defrost meat.

Content

We all know that it is much more useful to eat fresh meat, not exposed to the process of freezing. However, at such a fast pace of our modern life, not everyone has the opportunity to visit markets or shops daily. In this case, frozen goods come to the rescue. But it is also important to correctly defrost food in order to leave the maximum benefit and taste.

How to quickly defrost the meat at home: all methods of defrosting meat and the best way

In most cases, people carry out large purchases once every one to two weeks, and store purchased products in refrigerators and freezers.

You can defrost food products with two methods:

Slow - more useful, allowing you to maintain its nutritional value in food. The slower the meat piece thaws, the tastier and juicier it will turn out in prepared form. However, some experts believe that too long the process of defrosting the poultry or meat contributes to the rapid multiplication of bacteria on their surface and the destruction of a large number of useful components. And by the time of complete thawing the middle of the piece, its outer part will already lose its nutritional value.
Accelerated - significantly reducing process time, but at the same time contributing to the activation of product enzymes, which worsens its quality. In addition, too fast defrosting contributes to the accelerated loss of moisture, and as a result - the taste characteristics of food. Ice crystals inside frozen meat with active thawing tear its fibers, provoking excessive fluid loss.

It often happens that a frozen meat semi -finished product was not extracted from the freezer on time, and you need to prepare a dish from it as soon as possible. There are several ways to quickly defrost meat and poultry:

in the air (at room temperature or near the heating radiator)
in water (cold or hot)
using kitchen household appliances (oven, microwave, multicooker, double boiler)
in a water bath - the product is placed in a small saucepan (preferably in ceramic) and sent to a large container with boiling water

Which of these methods to use is up to you. But, according to experienced cooks, one of the best accelerated methods of thawing meat is its immersion in water. Advantages of this method:

heat transfer in water is much faster than in the air
the possibility of penetration into the product of pathogenic microorganisms is reduced
the meat remains juiciness and softness

We list some tricks and intricacies of defrosting meat products:

The main requirement for obtaining a delicious dish: freezing should occur as quickly as possible, and defrosting - as slowly as possible.
The meat that you will bake or boil with a whole piece can be cooked immediately, without defrosting.
Do not freeze the meat again, this will ruin its taste and kill all the nutritional properties. If it was not possible to cook within a day, it is better to pickle and prepare later.
Wash the thawed piece before cooking with water and dry with a paper towel.
Poultry meat is much more tender than beef and pork. And the process of freezing/defrosting acts more addicted to fibers. Therefore, it is better to thaw the bird in the refrigerator.
Remove the liquid that is released from the meat when thawing, since pathogenic microorganisms actively multiply in it.
Keep thawed meat products for no more than 8 hours.

How much time does the meat are thawed in a microwave, a slow cooker, an oven, a refrigerator, at room temperature, in cold water?

The time of defrosting of meat products certainly depends on its size and weight, as well as on the method of defrosting.

On average, on a piece of meat weighing 1 kg, depending on the method of defrosting, you will need:

in cold water - about 2 hours
in warm water-30-40 minutes
in microwaves-20-30 minutes
in the refrigerator department -8 -12 hours
at room temperature-3-3.5 hours
in a slow cooker-8-10 min
in the oven-15-20 minutes

How to defrost the meat in the microwave: tips and recommendations

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

How to use this method correctly:

free a piece of meat from packaging
place it in dishes for microwave ovens (glass or ceramic)
cover with a lid
submit to the furnace and set the "defrosting" mode
after 3 minutes, turn the product upside down
send again to the microwave during the “defrosting” mode for three minutes
repeat such manipulations until the meat completely defrosts (approximately 3 - 4 similar cycles)
after thawing, let the meat stand at room temperature for about half an hour

It should be noted that modern models themselves count the thawing time and give a sound signal when you need to turn the meat. And in some microwave prints, it is necessary to enter the product weight in the program, set the desired mode, and the device itself will calculate the necessary time.

It should be noted that the specified method of defrosting, although it is fast enough, but still has a number of significant drawbacks:

the product is defrosting unevenly. This is especially true for large pieces or a whole carcass of poultry, which from different sides has a different thickness of meat
food can acquire an unpleasant odor
small pieces can simply be cooked
the liquid from the product evaporates at an accelerated pace, 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
do not resort to this method if a piece of meat is too large, since it remains raw inside, and it will dry out or bake

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

How to defrost the meat in a slow cooker: tips and recommendations

More and more often in a modern kitchen, a healthy and convenient device is a multicooker - a multicooker. Many housewives appreciated its capabilities. This household appliance also copes with the defrosting of meat.

How the process is carried out:

place the meat, having previously removed the packaging from it, into the basket, which is included in the package
pour water into the device bowl
install on the device "steaming mode" mode
do not cover the lid
after 8-20 minutes. (based on weight) the product will be defrosted

It is believed that this method allows you to maintain meat all its taste.

How to defrost the meat in the oven?

Defrosting of meat products in the oven has several advantages over other ways:

thawing is more evenly
the process is significantly accelerated
the meat inside the chamber is not weathered and does not overdose
fibers retain their structure, and meat juice does not flow

Many modern models of brass cabinets have even a defrosting function that greatly facilitates the work of the hostess. In the case when your household appliances do not have such characteristics, the meat can be defrosted in two ways.

With temperature (accelerated method):

set in a closet a temperature of 30 degrees
remove the packaging from meat
send 8-10 minutes to the oven
periodically check the degree of thawing

Be careful and do not overdo it with temperature, otherwise your product will not thaw, but bake: inside it will remain raw, and a crust forms from above.

Using convection (longer process):

turn on convection mode, if there is one on your device
the heating option do not use
place the product in the center of the lattice

The fan creates the movement of air, which allows you to defrost more uniform.
The product ultimately retains its beneficial qualities and practically does not differ from fresh analogues.

The main recommendations for thawing products in the oven:

place a plate with meat on a lattice
better use ceramic dishes
you can cover a piece with a bowl or plate-this will slow down the process, but the meat will turn out to be more tender and will not be weathered
periodically turn the product for more uniform thawing

How to defrost the meat in water?

The use of water for defrosting of meat large pieces or small semi -finished products is a familiar option for many housewives.

At the same time, you can use water different.

Hot:

put the meat in a hermetically closing bag
heat water to about 60 degrees
put the bag in a pan with water
after 5-10 minutes, take out and transfer to a bowl of water at room temperature
keep like that for 20-25 minutes

In this way, a piece of pork weighing about a kilogram is thawed for 30 - 40 minutes.
Perhaps if the piece is large enough, the meat will not defrost completely, and is not suitable for the preparation of steaks or chops. However, for extinguishing, baking, etc. This method is quite acceptable.

Cold:

put the meat wrapped in a package in a deep container
pour ice water
additionally, you can throw chopped ice into the dishes
change the water periodically so that it remains cold, or add a new portion of ice

Salty:

meat must be freed 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 sucked

This method is accelerated due to the fact that salt activates heat transfer, and the product is defrosting faster and more uniformly.

Run:

put the meat product in a bowl
place in the sink under the crane
open the tap so that the water (cold or warm) is pouring into the meat with a thin stream

Using the listed methods, consider the general rules:

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

In what water is it better to defrost the meat: hot or cold?

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

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

the decay of the protein
the active formation of harmful microorganisms and bacteria
decrease in the taste characteristics of food

According to cooks, to defrost the meat correctly in the water very cold, even ice. This method is considered more useful and safe for the following reasons:

products remain fresh and practically does not lose its qualities
thawing occurs evenly until the middle of the piece
the product retains its juiciness

How to defrost the meat in the refrigerator?

The most correct and useful method of defrosting any products, including meat, is to place it in the refrigerator. So the nutritional power of all semi -finished products is preserved.

How to do it right:

without removing packaging from meat products, put it in a bowl so that moisture can drain there
send to the refrigerator for a day to the shelf where the lowest temperature is maintained
when the piece is practically thawed, pull it out and hold it at room temperature (this
need to be done about a couple of hours before cooking)
if you don't have so much time, put the meat in water for 15 minutes

You can check how much liquid gathered in a plate after defrosting. By its number, the quality of the meat product is determined - the smaller the water, the faster and more correct it was frozen.

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

it will be fried evenly
the taste of the finished dish will be more delicate and saturated
loss of vitamins will be minimized

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

How to defrost the meat at room temperature?

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

you can not keep the meat in the air for more than two hours to avoid creating a favorable soil to propagate harmful bacteria
a piece weighing more than one and a half kilograms, defrosting to the middle, will be weathered on top and covered with an unpleasant film

In order to avoid these troubles, using the indicated version of defrosting of meat products, follow such rules

defrost the products in a bowl so that the flowing liquid does not dirty 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 cloth (reward it with an iron or dip it in hot water and squeeze it out) - this will significantly accelerate the approximation of the result

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

Despite the arguments of experts about the benefits of slow thawing products, sometimes there are situations when ice meat needs to be thawed as quickly as possible. To accelerate the thawing process, use the advice of experienced cooks:

if the piece is packed in thick plastic, remove it. It is better to wrap the product in a thin food film or a bag, having previously released air from there
when the meat thaws a little, cut it into smaller pieces - they will defrost much faster
it is quite acceptable to defrost the chopped meat or minced meat in the microwave or oven, since in the finished dish no juiciness is expected from it. And the semi -finished products in the form of cutlets or meatballs can not be thawed at all, but immediately start cooking (began to fry to crust, and then bring it to readiness in the oven)

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

heat 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 due to the circulation of the liquid

Unfortunately, this method can not be called very convenient, since it is difficult to achieve water to heated to 52 degrees. In addition, the need to constantly stir the water deprives a person of the opportunity to do other matters.

A more reliable method seems to be proper freezing of products, which will subsequently accelerate the processing process:

before laying in the freezer camera, put pieces of meat into small portions
for convenience, sign all products with products
fresh minced meat is stored for no more than a day, since the process of propagation of microorganisms in chopped meat occurs at an accelerated pace. It needs to be frozen in small portions, putting it in a bag and rolling out (as it can be compactly marked compactly in the freezer, and then thaw faster)
large meat pieces first wash in water, then dry and only then pack it in polyethylene
freeze food at maximum power (many modern units have the Super -Summary option)

Of course, cooked fresh meat has excellent taste and greater juiciness. However, in most cases, trying the dish, a person does not know that the product was pre -frozen if all thawing rules are respected.