How to Thaw Meat Safely
There are several different ways to thaw frozen meat, but many of them are unsafe!
Check out the Do’s and Don’ts of thawing meat below to make sure you’re being safe.
DO
- Use cold water to thaw your meat!
- Give ample time for a refrigerator thaw!
- Keep meat wrapped when thawing in the water!
- Immediately cook meat thawed in a microwave!
- Cook meat after thawing!
DON’T
- Don’t thaw your meat with warm or hot water!
- Don’t let your meat sit out on a counter or outdoors to thaw!
- Don’t leave the meat unwrapped if a cold-water method is used!
- Don’t refreeze uncooked meats that have gone through the thawing process (unless it was thawed via the refrigerator method)!
- Don’t let the meat sit if it is thawed in a microwave!
- Don’t place unwrapped meat in the refrigerator to thaw
We recommend using the cold-water method of thawing. It’s faster than thawing in the fridge, but it requires you to be more vigilant during the thawing process. You should keep the meat in a leak-proof bag to prevent water and air from getting into the bag. This prevents bacteria and water from entering the meat and potentially ruining it.
Submerge the sealed meat in cold water. You can either have it soak completely submerged in a bowl of water or let cold water run over it until thawed.
Stay safe when you’re cooking, everyone! Visit us tomorrow for more safe cooking tips!
