One of the most hectic parts of running a restaurant is dealing with frozen food. Frozen food is the most complicated thing to deal with, but you have to do the task anyway. You have to thaw the food so that it becomes appropriate for use. Thawing any food takes almost twelve hours or more. One of the most back-breaking food to thaw is none other than meat that is in the small blast chiller of your restaurant.
Meat is a bit different from other food. Know that meat can spoil quickly, which means it requires extra care. Bacteria act fast on poultry and can make it decompose in hours. Know that minor negligence can result in disaster. But everything will go well if you pay attention to the tips and tricks. There are many ways you can use to defrost meat. Every method is appropriate depending on the situation and conditions. You can choose any process that seems easy to you. Below we have mentioned the five safest ways to thaw meat.
- Tap Water Method:
If you are not a professional, this method is for you. We all know that beginners can make many mistakes when thawing meat. That is why the best option for them is tap water. You will require some fresh tap water with a container to thaw meat. Take out the meat piece from the freezer. Now take a large container and fill it with water. You can also fill the sink with water but make sure it is clean. Now submerge the piece of meat in the water. Let it defrost for about 10 hours. Make sure you change the side of the meat piece every 20 minutes. You can submerge the meat with or without the packaging.
- Refrigeration Method:
This method is also for beginners. But know that this will require planning of starting the task. Your meat may require more than expected time to thaw. Hence, timing is an integral factor during the refrigeration method. Even a pound of poultry can sometimes take more than 24 hours to thaw. Just put the meat piece in a container and place it in the refrigerator. Make sure that the temperature of the fridge is 4 degrees C. The best part of thawing meat is the bottom shelf of the commercial refrigerator.
- Warm Water Method:
Do you want to speed up the process? Know that you can use warm water instead of cold water if you run out of time. But know that this method can be risky. So, you shouldn’t mess with it if you are not a pro. Just dip the meat in warm water, and it will be ready in an hour.
- Microwave Method:
Microwave is safe when you have to thaw small pieces of meat. It can defrost your meat piece in just 10 minutes. Make sure you do not thaw bulky pieces of beef since it will thaw them unevenly. Chefs only use microwave frozen food that they will serve immediately. Do not let the food stay at room temperature for a long time.
- Cook it:
There is nothing wrong with throwing frozen food straight into the pot. But remember that it will require a longer time for the meat to cook.