If you defrost frozen meat in your kitchen sink, please stop that practice now! In a message release by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), this process allows bacteria to grow rapidly on the meat and can lead to serious food poisoning issues [original article at Asiaone news]. It is also advised that non-frozen and thawed meat should not be expose for more than 2 hours. In order to defrost your meats safely and without affecting its flavour, here are our 3 recommended methods.
Leave the meat overnight in your fridge
You need to first make sure that the temperature of your fridge is between 1~4℃. The usual slice frozen beef, pork and chicken (except thinly sliced meats for shabu-shabu) in our inventory takes about 8~10 hours to fully defrost. It is possible to keep the meats safe for eating 1~2 days after it is being defrosted in the fridge. You can also choose to refreeze your meats in the freezer if it is within that period of time.
This method is great when you are planning ahead to cook. If you have an urgent need to cook and need to defrost your meats faster, you can consider the next 2 methods.
Defrost using the microwave
Remove the packaging that comes with your frozen meat, place the meat on a microwave-safe plate and wrap it with a microwave-safe wrapper. Defrost your meat on a low setting or use the thaw setting on the microwave. You will need to cook your meat immediately after thawing it in the microwave.
Using this method may cause your meat to be partially cook. There is no cause for alarm and you can consider this process as a pre-cooking preparation. Do note that you cannot refreeze your meat after defrosting it in the microwave.
This works great when you have very little time and is prepared to cook the meat immediately after thawing. If that is not desirable, you can try the next method.
Defrost frozen meat using tap-cold water
Place your frozen meat into a leak-proof plastic bag or a Ziploc bag. Be sure that water cannot reach your meat to avoid any contamination during the defrosting process. Submerge the bag into the cold water and let it sit for 15 minutes. Remove the bag and stir the water. Submerge the bag for another 15 minutes.
The water used has to be changed every 30 minutes if the meat is not fully defrosted. Repeat the process after the water changed. It is important to note that you have to cook the meat within 2 hours after it is defrosted.
Meat Safety
Frozen meats should not be left expose on your kitchen counter top or in the sink to be air-thawed. This allows bacteria to interact with your meats during the defrosting process. They should also not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. This can cause food poisoning when eaten.
It is also recommended that you do not buy fresh meats that are not chilled between 1~4℃ or are left exposed to the air. There is no exact way of knowing how long the meats have been exposed.
We hope that you have found the tips to be useful. Check out our selections for meat delivery to your doorsteps the next working day.
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