Contrary to what some armchair problem solvers say, hair dryers, space heaters and heated car seats are not reliable instruments for defrosting. Plenty of social media and Reddit thread real estate has been dedicated to the best ways for defrosting large cuts of meat, even when time is limited.
While the holidays put a spotlight on defrosting practices -- and problems -- the need to defrost quickly and safely haunts us throughout the year. Who among us has not found ourselves with a pound of frozen ground beef in one hand, and a finger on the trigger of a food delivery app in the other, contemplating savings versus speed?
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Step away from social media. There are ways to defrost both safely and quickly -- including not defrosting at all -- and there are also steps you can take before any food goes in the freezer to speed up the defrosting process for future you.
I spoke with four food safety experts about the best practices for defrosting.
Why safe defrosting is so important
Need to thaw out some frozen meat or chicken for cooking? Slowly in the fridge is your best bet. LupenGuy/Getty
We've all been guilty of using the "countertop method" when it comes to defrosting; simply taking something from the freezer and leaving it at room temperature until it feels unfrozen enough to cook. To be clear, this isn't a recommended method in the slightest, but a game of food poisoning roulette.
"Once food climbs above 40°F, bacteria can double around every 20 minutes," says food scientist Bryan Quoc Le, Ph.D., founder and CEO at Mendocino Food Consulting and author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered. "Keeping food cold during thawing slows that growth, buying you time and safety."
("Cold" here means refrigerator temperature. Not cool to the touch, but actually cold. Anything between 40°F to 140°F is referred to as the "danger zone," or the temperature range where harmful bacteria are happiest.)
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