Would you all weigh in? I'm frustrated and confused . . .

M

magnolia-in-chicago

Well-known member
For all the years of my life, my Mom would take out meat in the morning to defrost on the counter for dinner. The fact that I am STILL here leads me to believe that nothing bad came from this.

With all the new cautions, I have be more careful to take out dinner meat early in the morning only to find it STILL FROZEN in the refrigerator 12+ hours when I return home.

So. my two measly hamburgers that were meant for dinner are STILL frozen and I have nothing really for dinner. Two days out of the freezer just makes everything meh! What do you do? Thx.

 
I've found that I defrost a lot with warm water, or setting things on a metal tray

(cookie sheet) to speed up thawing.

I do admit to beginning the thawing on the counter sometimes, not completely thawed but getting it a good start but still partially frozen when I put it in the fridge.

I know it is against food safety rules to do as I do.

 
For a minute there I thought you were getting awefully personal and demanding there

Glad Lisa posted so I didn't realize you weren't asking for my weight but then again with Lisa's reply this could still go south real quickly. Just wait for Marilyn to get ahold of it.

 
Try taking stuff out of the freezer the night before you need it. . .

Or even take stuff out for a couple of days in a row.

If you need it the next day, place it in a NEW zip lock bag, place it in a pan or bowl of cold water, making sure to squeeze all air out and then zip the bag shut. You could try this on the same day, early in the morning if you only have small amounts to defrost.

I try to freeze stuff that I will need in smaller portions, and flatten it as much as possible so that defrosting will be quicker.

 
I'm with your Mom...

and my grandmother. Set it out in the morning and cook it thawed when you get home. I'm still breathing and stirring the pot as well.

If it's small or I'm going to be gone longer than usual, I will throw a dishtowel on it and turn a bowl over it to slow the thaw time.

The mythology about the thanksgiving turkey thawing in 2-3 days in the fridge?

ROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFLROFL.

I set mine out for a day, then put in the fridge and I'm lucky if it thaws in 4 days.

My opinion is there are too many lawyers that have been set loose on our society writing up the rules to cover themselves and their clients, not to serve your best interest.

 
Me too, as long as you cook it that night. The "four hour" rule says that the food itself should not

be above 40* for over four hours. That is hard to gauge if it sits on the counter all day--maybe the frozen part kept the rest cold enough for the first half of the day or maybe not. If you were then to refrigerate it for another day or two you could have some problems brewing.

But if you go ahead and cook it when you get home you are destroying any bacteria that might be getting a foothold before they can do serious damage.

I still think it's better all around to defrost for 2 days in the fridge but we don't always have the foresight to do that. I do Lisa's method if I'm home but not everyone has the luxury of being home during the day.

 
Growing up, my mom would make fried chicken and it would sit out - yes OUT - until gone

It may be out for 2 or 3 days and no one ever got sick.

Now, I would never go to that extreme, but, cmon...we are so over-protecting ourselves with extreme food safety, anti-bac cleanser, cribs with narrow bars (they don't even raise & lower anymore)...bikes with trainer wheels AND helmets...criminy - it's a surprise we aren't bubble-wrapped from birth.

 
I thaw in cold tap water, changing often. Doesn't take too long.

Cold tap water. Pretty sure that's one of the ok'ed versions from the powers that be.

 
Nobody else thaws stuff in a microwave?

I, too agree with mom's method- I'm still here too. But I do often use the microwave to thaw frozen meats or at least get the process started then finish thawing on the counter or in the fridge.

 
Cathy, I do the same. Quite often I start the process in the microwave. If I decide what's for

dinner early enough the defrosting is done in the fridge.

 
I pretty much don't use the micro for anything, but reheat/softening butter/ice cream.

I really wish it was useful for other things, but I often don't like the texture, especially the defrost. I keep meaning to try steamed veggies, but I always forget. Clearly I'm behind the times.

 
What do you mean about texture during defrost Maria? I have no texture change when I defrost

 
I start the defrost in the microwave on the defrost cycle...

It is amazing how it works so well. Then take it out and let it finish on the counter. If it is fish, I dry it well on both sides, while the inside is still a bit frosty and put in the refer.

 
I stopped using the microwave defrost because parts of the roast were cooking.

And I don't like that. I'm sure everyone's microwaves are different.

 
I set the microwave to defrost for much less than the time it suggests

Then I finish in cold water. This works really well, as the microwave starts the center, and the cold water does the outside. That's if I don't leave it out on the counter all day, of course!

Edited to say - Sorry, Karen, didn't mean to perpetrate a 'me too' post. I missed yours until I had posted mine.

 
I cook most of my vegetables in the microwave...

I really hated the few months I was without a microwave when we moved to the USA. I needed so many more pots to cook the vegetables on the stove, and I didn't like the results as well. Funnily enough, I won't reheat chicken in the microwave - it gives it a nasty taste, though DH says he can't taste it.

I melt chocolate in the microwave, make
caramel in the microwave, so many things. When my daughters were small, they use to scramble eggs for themselves in the microwave. I don't like them like that, but the girls loved it.

I used to have two, and used both of them almost daily, but one broke. We are hoping to buy a convection/microwave like the one I had in South Africa, but they are so expensive.

 
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