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TL;DR
Flat-packing floor beef earlier than freezing will make for faster thawing. Thawing within the microwave is the quickest technique, however requires you to flip and rotate the meat because it thaws, in addition to cook dinner it instantly to stop it from sitting within the hazard zone. Thawing your beef in a bowl of chilly water can also be a comparatively fast technique, however requires you to alter the water each half-hour to take care of its temperature. Probably the most hands-off technique—thawing within the fridge—can also be the longest, however is the one one which ensures your beef won’t ever enter the temperature hazard zone in case your fridge is calibrated accurately.
Floor beef is the star of many common weeknight dishes: It may be used to make an opulent bolognese, formed into juicy burgers, or shortly changed into a taco filling on a busy night. For that cause, many individuals maintain the versatile protein of their freezers, able to thaw at a second’s discover. However defrosting beef isn’t so simple as eradicating it from the freezer and setting it in your kitchen counter—the way you thaw the meat impacts not solely how lengthy it’ll take to defrost, but additionally whether or not the meat is protected to cook dinner and eat as soon as thawed. To find out the easiest way to defrost beef, I froze 10 kilos of floor beef utilizing 5 common and oft-recommended strategies.
Why It is Vital to Defrost Floor Beef Accurately
Defrosting meat generally is a nuisance, particularly when you’ve forgotten to take away it from the freezer and place it within the fridge the day earlier than you propose to cook dinner it (essentially the most dependable technique). As tempting as it’s to dunk your bundle of floor beef right into a bowl of sizzling water or to go away it close to your radiator, doing both of this stuff locations the meals within the temperature hazard zone (40 to 140ºF or 4.5 to 60ºC). That is the vary by which micro organism like Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus can simply multiply, growing the chance of meals poisoning.
“If the pathogens are current when meat is floor, then extra of the meat floor is uncovered to the dangerous micro organism,” the United States Division of Agriculture (USDA) notes. Moreover, “grinding permits any micro organism current on the floor to be combined all through the meat.” Sadly, cooking doesn’t essentially kill off all of those bacterial strains, and, as is the case with most proteins, together with rooster and turkey, the easiest way to scale back the danger of meals poisoning is to maintain the meat out of the hazard zone by safely thawing it after which cooking it properlyThere are solely three thawing strategies the USDA recommends: within the fridge, in a bowl of chilly water, or within the microwave, however there are a selection of frequent unsanctioned strategies generally utilized by residence cooks, as effectively.
How We Examined
To find out the easiest way to thaw floor beef, I examined the three USDA-approved strategies outlined above, together with two questionable however frequent practices: at room temperature and underneath working water within the sink. I recorded how lengthy every technique took and, utilizing an instant-read thermometer, logged the temperature of the meat at numerous intervals all through the method to find out if the meat ever hit the hazard zone.
As Kenji, Critical Eats culinary director emeritus and meals science whiz, has written beforehand, flattening meals earlier than freezing can pace up each the method of freezing and thawing, because it maximizes the ratio of floor space to quantity. With this in thoughts, I examined every of the defrosting strategies with two one-pound units of floor beef: one set that I flattened into one centimeter discs and one other that I froze in 3 1/2 by 3 1/2 by 2-inch blocks, which has similarities to how floor beef is packaged and bought at most US grocery shops. After measuring the ten one-pound parts and putting them in tightly sealed zip-top luggage, I froze them till stable earlier than continuing with my defrosting checks. For every technique, I solely opened the sealed luggage to examine the temperature of the meat at numerous thawing intervals.
The Most Widespread Strategies for Thawing Floor Beef: Examined
Fridge
Methodology
I set the frozen flat-packed floor beef and block of floor beef on a rimmed baking sheet (to gather any leaking juices), then positioned them within the fridge till they have been absolutely thawed.
How Protected Is It?
Defrosting within the fridge is essentially the most hands-off technique to thaw floor beef. In accordance with Meredith Carothers, a meals security specialist with the USDA, it’s additionally the most secure, supplied that your fridge is calibrated to constantly preserve a temperature under 40ºF (4ºC), as this ensures that the meat won’t ever attain hazard zone temperatures. (In case your fridge just isn’t correctly calibrated, all the perishable meals in it will likely be within the hazard zone, which is why we suggest utilizing a backup thermometer to make certain your fridge’s inside thermometer is correct.) As soon as defrosted within the fridge, floor beef will be safely saved for a further TK days, in line with the USDA.
The Outcomes
Of all of the strategies I examined, defrosting within the fridge took the longest: the flattened bundle took nearly 20 hours to thaw, whereas the block took about 24 hours to thaw.
| Packaging Format | Defrosting Time |
| Flat | About 19 hours |
| Block | About 24 hours |
Microwave
Methodology
In case your microwave has a “defrost” setting, the USDA recommends utilizing that setting to thaw floor beef. To defrost floor beef within the microwave, I eliminated the frozen beef from its packaging, positioned it on a microwave-safe plate, then thawed it utilizing my microwave’s “defrost” setting. In case your microwave doesn’t have this setting, it’s best to defrost your meals at 30% energy to stop the bottom beef from starting to cook dinner throughout defrosting. The USDA additionally recommends rotating and flipping the meat all through the method to make sure even thawing, and suggests utilizing a spoon or spatula to take away thawed parts of the meat to assist the remaining beef thaw extra simply.
The time it takes to defrost meat within the microwave will rely in your microwave’s wattage. I examined in my 1200W microwave, which has a defrost setting particularly for meat; in line with the producer, the microwave alternates between 20 to 30% energy to “guarantee even thawing” of the meat.
How Protected Is It?
The microwave is one in every of simply two fast defrosting strategies the USDA recommends. Nonetheless, meals thawed this manner should be cooked instantly after it is defrosted because the microwave kickstarts the cooking course of.
Outcomes
Of the 5 strategies I examined, the microwave was by far the quickest. The flat-packed bundle defrosted three minutes sooner than the block. Nonetheless, the meat was rather more erratically thawed, with the sides starting to cook dinner whereas the middle remained frozen. The feel was additionally a lot drier after I cooked the bottom beef. Although the block of frozen meat took barely longer, it thawed extra evenly—and had fewer spots start to cook dinner. Defrosting within the microwave is an choice when you’re in a pinch, however when you’ve got time, we positively suggest the fridge technique over this one.
| Packaging Format | Defrosting Time in 1200W Microwave |
| Flat | 7 minutes 45 seconds |
| Block | 10 minutes 57 seconds |
Chilly Water
Methodology
I submerged every of the packages of frozen beef in a bowl of chilly faucet water. In accordance with Carothers, chilly faucet water within the approximate vary of 55 to 65ºF (12 to 18ºC) is okay for defrosting so long as you cook dinner the meat instantly after defrosting. It’s important to alter the water each half-hour as a way to guarantee it stays within the really useful temperature vary and to maintain the thawing course of shifting. As the meat thaws, the water surrounding it’ll turn into cooler, finally turning into chilly sufficient to hamper the defrosting course of. It’s additionally essential that the bag is absolutely sealed to stop any water from coming into the bundle of meat.
How Protected Is It?
The USDA considers thawing in chilly water to be a protected technique, so long as you modify the water each half-hour and cook dinner the meat instantly after thawing.
Outcomes
The flat-packed floor beef defrosted in simply half-hour—which meant that I didn’t even have to alter the water. The block of beef, however, took an hour and quarter-hour. The flattened beef additionally thawed rather more evenly; utilizing an instant-read thermometer, I took the temperature of the meat and solely noticed 5ºF (2ºC) distinction between the middle of the bundle and its edges. Conversely, the block’s edges reached 50.5ºF (10.2ºC) after an hour, however remained 29ºF (-1.7ºC) on the core.
| Packaging Format | Defrosting Time |
| Flat | half-hour |
| Block | 1 hour quarter-hour |
Operating Water
Methodology
Many residence cooks and professionals place packaged frozen meals underneath a working faucet to hurry up the defrosting time, however it isn’t a USDA-approved technique—plus, it wastes water and inconveniently occupies the sink for a considerable period of time. This technique can also be not considerably sooner than the chilly water technique outlined above. Although the flat pack was performed thawing in 25 minutes—5 minutes sooner than within the bowl of water—the block took an hour and 22 minutes to defrost, longer than the chilly water within the bowl.
How Protected Is It?
This technique just isn’t endorsed by the USDA and we don’t suggest it, as it’s as loud as working a vacuum cleaner, a waste of water, and never significantly sooner than different strategies.
Outcomes
| Packaging Format | Defrosting Time |
| Flat | 25 minutes |
| Block | 1 hour 22 minutes |
Room Temperature
Methodology
I positioned the 2 packages of frozen beef on separate rimmed baking sheets on my kitchen counter and allow them to sit at 74ºF (23ºC) till thawed. Utilizing an instant-read thermometer, I took the temperature of the meat roughly each 10 minutes to make sure that meals wasn’t sitting within the hazard zone.
How Protected Is It?
The USDA doesn’t suggest this technique, and the 2 meals security specialists I spoke with—Carothers and Catherine Nettles Cutter, a meals science professor at Penn State College—suggested in opposition to thawing meat at room temperature. It is because your meals is prone to hit the hazard zone, which will increase the danger of foodborne sicknesses. In accordance with the USDA, meals mustn’t sit within the hazard zone for longer than two hours—one hour if the area is above 90ºF (32ºC).
Although I didn’t sicken myself with my checks, consuming meals that has been thawed improperly is particularly harmful for at-risk populations, together with pregnant individuals, youngsters underneath the age of 5, people who find themselves aged 65 or older , or those that are immunocompromised.
Outcomes
The flat-packed meat defrosted in simply over an hour and a half and by no means reached the hazard zone. The block of frozen meat, nonetheless, took somewhat over three hours—twice so long as the flat-packed beef—and the outer edges of the meat hit the hazard zone for about 10 minutes earlier than I refrigerated it.
| Packaging Format | Defrosting Time |
| Flat | 1 hour 36 minutes |
| Block | About 3 hours |
What Is the Quickest Method to Defrost Beef?
The microwave is the quickest: The equipment absolutely thawed each the flattened bundle and block of floor beef in simply 10 minutes. Nonetheless, this technique didn’t thaw the meat constantly, and the sides of the meat cooked earlier than the middle may even thaw. As a result of this technique jumpstarts the cooking technique, you have to cook dinner the meat instantly after thawing it within the microwave. Thawing your beef in a bowl of chilly water can also be a superb choice when you’re in a rush, however you’ll have to change the water each half-hour to take care of its temperature.
Which Methodology for Defrosting Floor Beef Produced the Greatest Outcomes General?
Whereas defrosting within the fridge takes the longest, it’s the most secure and most hands-off technique to thaw floor beef. And in contrast to the microwave different strategies, thawing within the fridge permits you to safely retailer the bottom beef for a further two days within the fridge as soon as it is thawed. It additionally has no damaging influence on the feel of the meat, in contrast to the microwave technique. For that cause, we suggest thawing floor beef within the fridge if you’ll be able to plan forward and have the time to spare.