Quickly defrost food without a microwave - easy! Rating of known methods

On the one hand, freezing food eliminates the need to frequently visit the store. On the other hand, quickly defrosting the same meat and fish without a microwave is quite problematic. They can thaw for up to 30 hours if everything is done according to the rules and the temperature is increased gradually. But what to do if you are running out of time to prepare a dish? After all, it is not always possible to predict cooking in advance.

Quick defrosting methods

Everyone knows that in order to preserve all the beneficial substances in foods, you need to freeze them quickly and defrost them gradually and slowly. According to the rules, they should thaw in the refrigerator at a temperature of +1–5 degrees. Such conditions make it possible to fully preserve not only useful elements, but also taste. And in the refrigerator compartment, food is defrosted evenly throughout its entire depth and does not spoil for a long time. The only negative is that you have to wait a very long time.

To somehow speed up the thawing process, housewives use various quick methods of defrosting food.

At room temperature

It's no secret that ice melts faster in a warm environment. On average, the defrosting speed increases 3 times. But the warmer the room, the faster microbes multiply in food.

In cold water

To quickly defrost, it is recommended to place the product in a moisture-proof bag and place it under running water for 10 minutes. Then you need to place it in a large bowl filled with ice-cold liquid. With this method, a piece of meat weighing 1 kg will thaw in 1.5–2 hours (in the refrigerator the process will take 8–10 hours), and the cold will prevent the food from spoiling quickly.

In hot water

By dipping the product into hot water, many hope to get an almost instant result. But the product thaws quickly only on the outside. Moreover, already at 40 degrees the cooking process begins. The product is cooked around the perimeter, but the core remains raw and icy.

In the microwave

In the “Auto Defrost” mode, food thaws as quickly as possible. For example, frozen minced meat weighing 400 g becomes pliable and soft after just 6–8 minutes. The most important thing is that the food is defrosted relatively evenly and does not have time to spoil in such a short time. The downside is that it sometimes bakes at the edges.

In the oven

Modern ovens also have a defrost function. The product thaws in about 10 minutes. You can create it artificially by setting the temperature to 30 degrees and turning on convection.At high temperatures, defrosting food is not recommended for the same reasons as in hot water.

In a slow cooker

Can I use a slow cooker for defrosting? Yes. To do this, place the product on the grill and turn on the steam mode. The lid should be kept open and the meat (fish, poultry) should be turned over periodically. Steam additionally saturates the product with moisture, thereby protecting it from weathering and drying out.

On a special defrosting mat

For quick defrosting, special aluminum plates with grooves are produced (Defrost Express and others costing from 500 rubles). Aluminum is an effective heat conductor, and therefore significantly speeds up the thawing process. A chicken fillet weighing 0.5 kg will thaw on a mat in about 45 minutes (or just in a plate - in 2-3 hours).

How to defrost different foods correctly and quickly?

Different products have their own defrosting characteristics. Many of them do not need defrosting at all. Others are very demanding about compliance with all the rules.

Meat

It is not recommended to quickly defrost meat: you can easily spoil the product. Any of the methods, including using a special mode in the microwave, leads to loss of meat juice. As a result, the product becomes hard and dry.

But sometimes you have to choose the lesser evil. In the case of meat it is:

• defrosting in cold water (see above);
• defrosting in the oven in a special mode (see above);
• defrosting on a special board (see above);
• frozen cooking.

Small pieces of meat can be cooked without defrosting. To ensure they are well boiled or baked, the cooking time is increased by 50%. In this case, the temperature is reduced by 20–30 degrees from that indicated in the recipe.

For juiciness and bright taste, it is recommended to use vegetables and sauces. If you plan to fry the meat, then you should do it in batter - the shell will quickly set and seal the meat juice inside.

Ground meat

All varieties of minced meat tend to quickly weather and turn grey. Therefore, they are defrosted only in packaging, a tightly tied bag or container with a lid.

You can quickly defrost minced meat without a microwave:

• in cold water;
• in the oven;
• on a special board;
• in chopped form.

Chop the frozen minced meat into small pieces, pour into a bag and leave under running water or in the refrigerator. This will reduce the defrosting time by 3 times.

Before freezing the minced meat, divide it into portions, place it in bags and roll it out. The flatbreads will thaw much faster than the sausages.

How to quickly defrost chicken and chicken fillet?

The bird is a frequent guest on the table of the average Russian family. But it defrosts no faster than beef or pork. At the same time, a more delicate approach to it is needed. It is not recommended to defrost chicken in the oven and hot water. So it loses a lot of fluid and becomes dry and hard.

• How to defrost a whole chicken?

Place the packaged carcass in a container of cold water. Change it every half hour. After 2 hours, the chicken can be cooked by reducing the temperature by 20 degrees and adding 50% of the time.

For reference, a broiler in the refrigerator can take up to 30 hours to defrost.

• How to defrost fillet?

The chicken fillets are slightly defrosted under running cold water and then cooked immediately. The dish turns out both tastier and healthier.

Fish

Thawed fish spoils instantly. Therefore, you need to start preparing it immediately.

To quickly defrost, defrost is used:

• in a bag of cold water;
• on an aluminum board;
• in saline solution.

It is recommended to defrost freshly frozen whole fish without packaging in cold water with added salt (1 tablespoon per 1 liter). Salt inhibits the growth of bacteria and speeds up the melting of ice.

How to clean fish from scaleswhat if it's frozen? Scald it with boiling water and place it in ice water for 1-3 minutes. After this, the scales along with the skin will be removed without a knife.

Dough: yeast, puff pastry

Like other products, it is recommended to defrost the dough in the refrigerator. But you need to keep in mind that the process may take 10 hours. The dough will thaw much faster on the kitchen counter - in about 5 hours.

How else can you defrost the dough?

• On the battery. You can defrost puff pastry and pizza dough on a warm radiator. Approximate time – 1 hour.
• In warm water. At a liquid temperature of 30 degrees, the dough will thaw in 1–1.5 hours. This way you can defrost any type of dough. The main thing is that the water is not hot.
• In the oven in the “Defrost” mode.

Yeast dough is very sensitive to heat. It is not recommended to defrost it in a microwave or other heating devices.

Cottage cheese

This product is not so fancy. If you plan to use the cottage cheese for making cheesecakes or casseroles, you can quickly defrost it on a radiator or in warm water. After it thaws, the liquid must be drained.To eat fresh, it is better to place the cottage cheese in a tight bag and leave it in cold water or use an oven with a defrosting function.

So, only with slow defrosting in the refrigerator can the taste and benefits of food be fully preserved. Shortcuts invariably lead to loss of quality. But if time is pressing, you should choose the lesser evil. Not counting the microwave, this is defrosting in cold water, on an aluminum mat, in an oven at 30 degrees with the fan on. Food to be defrosted must be sealed.