Many people use hot water to quickly thaw their ground meat. But this method is a monumental error. Especially in hot weather, this practice can lead to food poisoning.
When you want to use frozen ground meat, the pieces may stick together. In this case, thawing becomes more difficult and time-consuming. To make it easier for us, many of us pass the meat under hot water, but that’s a very bad idea!
Indeed, defrosting ground meat (or any other type of meat) in hot water is not recommended for several reasons:
Bacterial growth: Hot temperatures can promote the growth of dangerous bacteria, especially on the surface of the meat, which heats up faster than the inside. This can lead to food poisoning risks.
Loss of quality: Hot water can actually “cook” the surface of the meat, which can lead to loss of quality, texture and flavor.
Defrosting inequalities: Hot water can melt the outside of the meat much faster than the inside, which can lead to areas still frozen inside the meat when the outside is already completely thawed. This can lead to uneven cooking when trying to cook meat.
HOW TO THAW GROUND MEAT SAFELY?
You can remove ground meat from your freezer and place it in your fridge to thaw. To do this, just put it in the fridge the day before. Ground meat that thaws slowly in the refrigerator allows you to use it safely and retain its flavor.
If you forgot to take your meat out the night before and want to thaw it quickly, you can choose the cold water thawing method. Put the meat in a plastic bag and place it in a container filled with cold water. Meat will thaw quickly in water. However, if you choose this method, it is important to use the meat immediately after defrosting.
Another method: use a microwave with a defrost function. Please note that this is not the case with all microwaves and if yours is not compatible, you will cook the meat and not thaw it, which will make it foul. And even if your microwave has a defrost function, avoid overheating the meat and be sure to cook it immediately after defrosting it.
HOW TO PROPERLY FREEZE GROUND MEAT
The best way to thaw frozen ground meat is to freeze it properly. When buying the meat, you can divide it into suitable portions and freeze each portion separately. This way you can just thaw the portion you need when you need it.