I must be doing it wrong...

[thyme4change]

Everything I have ever read says that you should defrost meat in the fridge.  But if I leave the meat in the fridge all day, it is still frozen when I go to cook dinner.  And by all day - I mean all day - usually 10 or more hours.

Is my fridge too cold?  Is my freezer too cold?  Can things be ultra-frozen?

[Sam_2.0]

Your fridge might be too cold. I cheat & throw things in the sink to thaw out or throw them in a bowl of water. Or just put frozen hunks of meat in the crock pot.

[sarcasticgirl]

I usually defrost in the fridge for 2 days... Or in a pinch, cheat like Sam and throw it in the sink.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using proboards

[Sam_2.0]

My sister routinely puts frozen meat in the sink on her way to work, and then cooks it up when she gets home!! Not sure I would trust it out that long, but she seems to have no problems with it.

[Deleted]

It takes a long time.   You need to put in there for a few days.  Or down your pants.

[wvugurl26]

It usually takes two days for mine to thaw in fridge. Or maybe the fridge is too cold?

[justme]

It takes a good 24+ hours in the fridge to defrost - more if the meat is thick cut (can be helped if it's individual portions and frozen flat). It is the proper way to do it to avoid germs. A shortcut way - and it mostly keeps the germs at bay - is to defrost the meat in water, but have a constant drip going over it. The drip creates circulation (like a convection oven) and it also pushes out the colder water. So put a pan in your sink that will cover the meat, put the meat in and fill it up, and then turn the faucet down to as slow as it goes with still being a steady stream. That cuts the defrost period real quick - I've actually taken things out of the freezer when I get home and eating in an hour or two when I use that method (probably quicker than that, I just suck at checking the meat since it's just me). Also use it for things other than meat.

[thyme4change]

Germ germs or bacteria?

[Deleted]

We don't practice safe defrosting.

DH, the house chef will do the quick defrost in the bar sink for a couple of hours for frozen fish and thinner cuts of meat.

We've tried the leave the frozen chicken in the fridge thing and have had the same results as you. We'll just leave it on the counter on a plate to defrost for several hours now. But we're in a pretty cool temperate climate. We never had the defrosting issue while we were in AZ.

All jokes aside, when was the last time you pulled out your fridge and vacuumed out the coils? We had been having problems with the old fridge in our cabin. Everything was always freezing in the produce bins. Since it's now 18 years old I thought is was on its last legs. This summer DH pulled it out and vacuumed the coils and voila! Works fantastic.

[Angel!]

Oct 21, 2013 21:13:00 GMT -5 Sam_2.0 said:

My sister routinely puts frozen meat in the sink on her way to work, and then cooks it up when she gets home!! Not sure I would trust it out that long, but she seems to have no problems with it.

Bleh.  I have read that meat shouldn't sit out for more than 4 hours.  I wouldn't trust it sitting in the sink all day either. 

But, it does take two days to defrost in the fridge.  Or you can shortcut in the sink or really shortcut in the microwave.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Oct 21, 2013 21:00:00 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Everything I have ever read says that you should defrost meat in the fridge.  But if I leave the meat in the fridge all day, it is still frozen when I go to cook dinner.  And by all day - I mean all day - usually 10 or more hours.

Is my fridge too cold?  Is my freezer too cold?  Can things be ultra-frozen?

Get out of my head and/or my kitchen.  

[Opti]

Thyme, I think it depends on your fridge and freezer temps plus the thickness and type of
meat. A roast or a chicken is not going to fully defrost in 10 hours in the fridge.

I mostly freeze indiviual servings of uncooked chicken thighs, beef, sausage, etc. and most
do thaw within 24 hours enough to cook. I find taking meat out after dinner for tomorrow's
dinner works best. Also, if you are willing to do stir frys, if the meat isn't too frozen you can cut it up thinly and stir fry until fully cooked.

[toomuchreality]

Oct 21, 2013 23:02:20 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Oct 21, 2013 21:00:00 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Everything I have ever read says that you should defrost meat in the fridge.  But if I leave the meat in the fridge all day, it is still frozen when I go to cook dinner.  And by all day - I mean all day - usually 10 or more hours.

Is my fridge too cold?  Is my freezer too cold?  Can things be ultra-frozen?

Get out of my head and/or my kitchen.  

 

Defrosting in the fridge never works for me.

[Deleted]

I usually thaw on the counter or in water. But I work from home, so it's not as if it is sitting out for hours.

[michelyn8]

I've run into that issue too.  Some meats I just go ahead and cook even though they are still partially frozen.  Its works great with chicken since it seems to keep it from drying out as much as if I started with fully defrosted meat.  Other meats do ok that way but not always.  But since I don't want to leave it out all day, its a safer alternative.

My mother always defrosted in a sink of cold water or on the counter.  Since she always cooks it until done (no pink ever), I never got sick growing up.  I do the same on weekends or a day off. For larger cuts like a roast or a whole chicken/turkey, we defrost in the fridge over a day or two. 

To be honest, I'm more concerned about under cooked meat and the conditions its prepared under (clean utensil, cutting board, etc) rather than how it was defrosted. 

[Deleted]

For red meat, I leave it in the fridge all day and then put it on the counter for a couple of hours when I get home. For some reason I only do chicken in a water bath to speed up the process. Not sure why...

[Deleted]

Oct 22, 2013 7:14:09 GMT -5 michelyn8 said:

I've run into that issue too.  Some meats I just go ahead and cook even though they are still partially frozen.  Its works great with chicken since it seems to keep it from drying out as much as if I started with fully defrosted meat.  Other meats do ok that way but not always.  But since I don't want to leave it out all day, its a safer alternative.

My mother always defrosted in a sink of cold water or on the counter.  Since she always cooks it until done (no pink ever), I never got sick growing up.  I do the same on weekends or a day off. For larger cuts like a roast or a whole chicken/turkey, we defrost in the fridge over a day or two. 

To be honest, I'm more concerned about under cooked meat and the conditions its prepared under (clean utensil, cutting board, etc) rather than how it was defrosted. 

The latest science is that roasting a bird frozen is safer and better than roasting a thawed out bird.

[Deleted]

Really? Did they say how much more time you need to add to the cooking time?

[Deleted]

AMES, Iowa, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Experts at Iowa State University say it's actually safer to cook a turkey under 15 pounds when it's still frozen, but it will take longer.

"A frozen turkey won't drip juices around the kitchen that could cause sickness and will come out of the oven juicy and full of flavor," Iowa State University said in a statement. "It's critical that the final temperature of the deep portions of the turkey reach at least 165 degrees F to prevent foodborne illness. The National Turkey Federation recommends that the temperature reach 175 degrees to 180 degrees F in the leg/thigh portion."

To roast a 12-15 pound frozen turkey:

-- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, making sure that the pan will fit on the middle shelf of the oven.

-- Line the baking pan with foil and place the rack in the pan.

-- On a clean surface, unwrap the frozen turkey and place it on the rack.

-- At 3 hours: If turkey is defrosted, giblet packages can be removed with tongs and/or forks. Giblets packaged in plastic should be removed and cooked separately; if the plastic bag has melted or been altered, do not consume the giblets. Giblets packaged in paper can be removed and cooked separately, or cooked completely in the bird making sure they reach 165 degrees F.

-- Butterball's Turkey Talk-line said the bag is designed to go through the roasting process and it can be kept inside the turkey.

-- At 4 to 5 hours: Measure temperature at deepest point in the breast. Minimum temperature: 165 degrees F. Keep roasting if it's not 165 degrees F. Plan on 5 to 5.5 hours for a 12-14 pound turkey.

-- When done, remove from oven and place a foil tent over turkey. Wait 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

-- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Traditional instructions recommended cooking poultry to 180 degrees F until U.S. Department of Agriculture tests showed 165 degrees was sufficient, but the Turkey Federation continues to recommend 180 degrees because this ensures the meat is no longer pink yet will remain juicy.

[Deleted]

Thanks! 

[cael]

As a food safety person, thawing in refrigeration or under cool *running* water is safest. More than a drip but definitely not necessary to have the faucet on high. I always see people leave meat in their sinks all day to defrost and makes me craaaaazy because there is so much more of a risk that you could get sick doing that. Sure many people don't, because most people will cook it properly after that, but most cases of food poisoning are actually due to food made and eaten at home, not the last restaurant you ate at like people think.

[NoNamePerson]

I thought all the chemicals and preservatives that they put in meat/chicken would keep it from spoiling

[aliciar6]

fridge always takes forever, I have just gone with filling the sink with water and letting it sit in there for a few hours or until it is thaw.

[cael]

Nope bacteria will still grow. They're hardy little f*ckers.

[Deleted]

A little food poisoning is helpful.  Will cull the herd a little.

[NoNamePerson]

Oct 22, 2013 7:33:20 GMT -5 cael said:

Nope bacteria will still grow. They're hardy little f*ckers.

Will have to take your word for it. I solved this problem 20 yrs ago and quit eating meat. I just figured by now they had put so much stuff in it that every one would be immune/safe

[cael]

I always make DH cook his meat a little to the point of dry haha, because he used to undercook it and it freaked me out! Be careful of them veggies too, lots of outbreaks lately have started with bagged salad and crap I think! lol. But yeah, you can really get food poisoning from anywhere. Even baking and temperature abusing potatoes wrong can get you sick.

[Deleted]

I refuse to eat dryed out meat.   I would rather risk having a case of the 24 hour shits.

[thyme4change]

Oct 21, 2013 23:29:40 GMT -5 @missmargarita said:

I defrost stuff in the microwave. I don't turn the microwave on I just put frozen stuff in there and let it defrost. It's somewhat insulated so even after a long day of being in there the meat is defrosted but still cool. Having meat end up at room temperature would make me nervous.

The meat is still cold when I come home after it has been on the counter.  It never gets to room temp.  I could put it in a cooler or an insulated bag and see if it still defrosts, but stays even colder.

I actually feel a little better now because my daughter comes home after school and moves it into the fridge - so that cuts a couple of hours off the sitting on the counter time.

but most cases of food poisoning are actually due to food made and eaten at home, not the last restaurant you ate at like people think.

Funny you should say this, because when I was younger we ate out a lot more, especially fast food and lower-priced places, and I would get some GI thing every year - without fail.  But I haven't had a problem for nearly 5 years now, and we eat mostly at home.  I always assumed that it was because I was not eating fast food anymore - but maybe it is that I learned to cook things more properly.  I don't think there is a huge change in my cooking, but I can't definitively rule it out.

[cael]

but maybe it is that I learned to cook things more properly. I don't think there is a huge change in my cooking, but I can't definitively rule it out.

Yeah, and maybe learning to organize/clean more effectively while you're cooking. It's about thorough cooking and hygiene in your kitchen really! Washing fruits and veggies, not cross contaminating (you know, not plopping your raw steak on the counter then cutting your lettuce on the counter without sanitizing), that kind of stuff. It sounds like duh, who would do that, but you'd be surprised, people just don't think sometimes.