Any housewife sooner or later is faced with the need to defrost semi-finished meat products, fish, chicken and minced meat. Of course, if there is time, then ice products are obtained in advance. But plans can change, and due to various circumstances it is necessary to resort to emergency measures.

There are a lot of options for defrosting meat and other products, including:

1. In the refrigerator - the longest and safest;
2. At room temperature;
3. In icy water;
4. Using salt or salt water;
5. In the microwave;
6. In hot water;
7. On the battery.

The last two methods are unsafe and can lead to rapid spoilage of the product. They can be used only in extreme cases and immediately cook meat or poultry.

How to quickly defrost meat at home

The easiest way to defrost meat is in the microwave. Most of these kitchen units have this feature. However, this method of thawing semi-finished products has significant disadvantages:

• A large piece of meat defrosts unevenly; it must be constantly turned over;
• Small pieces may be partially cooked;
• When defrosting, moisture is lost very quickly, and the finished dish will not be as tasty.

The only advantage of defrosting in a microwave oven is speed. A large piece of meat will be ready for further culinary actions in a matter of minutes.

If juiciness is not critical, then it is worth considering this option. But let's look at how you can quickly defrost meat without a microwave.

A little longer, but with preservation of taste and nutritional properties, the meat is defrosted in water. The temperature of the liquid should be as low as possible. Best with pieces of ice. The frozen piece should be placed in a sealed bag, then in a sufficiently deep container. Then it is filled to the top with ice water.

Thawing time will depend on the initial weight and volume of the piece. Usually it is about three hours. The water should be changed regularly, or the container with meat should be placed under an open tap.

Do not put meat in hot water. Otherwise, it may turn out that the outside of the piece is practically cooked, but the inside remains icy. If you cook it in this form, you will end up with a half-baked dish that is unsafe for those who try to eat it.

You can defrost meat using salt or very salty water. Dilute it in a small amount of water and put the piece there without the wrapper. Salt promotes rapid heat exchange, thawing occurs evenly and quite quickly.

An effective way to defrost is in a steam bath or in a double boiler. Chop the piece of meat into smaller pieces and place them in an appropriate container. Be careful not to cook it during defrosting.

The longest way to defrost is first in the refrigerator, then at room temperature. You can immediately remove the meat from the freezer and place it near the radiator. Product thawed in this way must be cooked immediately.

Options for defrosting chicken and chicken fillet

Almost everyone loves whole chicken carcasses and individual parts. It is delicious in any form and is always appropriate. On holidays, on weekdays, for aromatic broth and a hearty main dish. This bird is easy to prepare; even an inexperienced housewife can handle most recipes.

Chickens are sold both frozen and chilled. But even if you bought a fresh bird, you can store it in the freezer. Its shelf life increases to six months. Both fillets and other cuts are great for the freezer.

1. If the chicken was in its original packaging, and in the future you plan to cook it whole, then you need to freeze it completely. Individual parts and fillets should be divided into portions before placing in the freezer. This will avoid difficulties with subsequent thawing.
2. You should remove a whole bird from the freezer a day before cooking. Remove the packaging from it, put it in a deep bowl and leave it in the refrigerator, in the part where the temperature is lowest. The next day, you can take the chicken out to thaw at room temperature.
3. Fillet and individual parts prepared for frying can be defrosted faster, using a microwave or in water. However, in this case, you should not postpone heat treatment.
4. The smaller the chicken pieces, the faster the thawing process occurs. A whole carcass can be cut along the sternum and the ice removed from the middle. Or just cut it into pieces.
5. If frozen parts of chicken, fillet or whole carcass are supposed to be cooked, then it is permissible not to complete the defrosting process. Just increase the cooking time a little. However, before placing meat in a pan, it must be washed well in warm water, and then the foam must be thoroughly removed.

Poultry meat is more tender than pork or beef. Rapid defrosting affects it much worse. Take your time if you want juicy, golden-brown chicken for lunch.

How to quickly defrost minced meat

Fresh minced meat is not stored for long, in the refrigerator - no more than a day. The fact is that bacteria actively settle on such a highly crushed product and either heat treatment or freezing can stop this process.

Minced meat prepared for storage in the freezer should be packaged in small portions. Each part should be placed in a separate freezer bag and carefully rolled out. In a flat form, minced meat is not only stored compactly, but also defrosts faster.

Since minced meat does not require the juiciness of a whole piece, it is quite acceptable to thaw it in quick ways: in the microwave, in warm water, steamed, near the radiator. In addition, if the minced meat is prepared for frying, it can be broken into pieces and immediately placed in a heated frying pan.

Frozen semi-finished minced meat products can be prepared immediately after taking them out of the freezer. But at the same time, the temperature should not be high so that the middle of the cutlet has time to fry. For juiciness, first quickly cook in a frying pan until golden brown, and then bake in the oven.

Rules for defrosting meat

When defrosting meat, you should remember the main rule - the slower the process, the better and tastier the dish will be. Rapid thawing leads to loss of moisture, taste and nutritional properties of the product.

When defrosting in water, interstitial fluid comes out of the meat and it will no longer produce a juicy steak. The same applies to the microwave. In a microwave oven, due to uneven heating, part of the piece can be cooked, and part remains icy.

When frozen, ice crystals form in the meat. The faster and deeper the cold treatment occurs, the smaller they are. When heated quickly, the crystals, without having time to melt, come out of the piece, tear the fibers and provoke the release of moisture.

Another significant disadvantage of quick defrosting in a warm place is that various microorganisms settle on a piece of meat. In a favorable environment, they begin to reproduce quite quickly. This threatens serious poisoning.

In order to avoid health problems and get a tasty meat dish, you should follow the following defrosting rules:

1. An ice cube is taken out of the freezer in advance and placed in the refrigerator;
2. Thawing time in the refrigerator depends on the initial weight, the heavier, the longer;
3. Be sure to remove the packaging and place the meat or poultry in a suitable container, this will prevent spoilage of other products;
4. When a piece of meat or a poultry carcass is almost defrosted, you can remove it from the refrigerator and continue defrosting at room temperature;
5. A completely thawed piece should be washed with warm water and dried with a paper towel;
6. After this, you must immediately begin cooking; the maximum shelf life of thawed meat is 6 hours;
7. Under no circumstances should meat be re-frozen! Bacteria on its surface have already begun to actively multiply and the cold will not help cope with them, do not risk your health.

Secrets of proper freezing

Freezing food can extend storage time up to a year. If you have a sufficiently large freezer, this allows you to solve the issue of seasonal food preparation without resorting to preservation.

Frozen food retains all the beneficial properties of a fresh product. In addition, you can store semi-finished products, soup dressings and pieces of meat in the freezer. The correct bookmark allows you not only to preserve, but also to easily and quickly defrost everything that is stored in the freezer.

Be sure to follow the rules for separate storage of semi-finished products. Fruits and vegetables should be stored separately from meat, poultry and fish. This will prevent the formation of foreign odors.

Before storing meat products in the freezer, you should prepare:

• Remove the vacuum packaging;
• Cut into small portions;
• Divide them into separate freezer bags;
• Large pieces of meat and whole poultry should be washed well and dried thoroughly;
• You need to freeze at maximum power, many modern freezers have a “shock freezing” function, be sure to use it;
• Sign food packages.

Freeze and defrost meat and poultry according to the rules and then there will always be delicious dishes on your table.