How to defrost food properly

To enjoy frozen delicacies to the fullest, they need to defrost properly. There are different rules for each product, but most importantly, do not rush. Americans prefer fridges with big freezing chambers – in fact in summer almost everybody freezes mushrooms and berries, vegetables and herbs for the winter. Of course, we started to buy frozen meat and fish less often, but many of us put a part of catch after fishing and meat, bought from farmers, into the freezer, where we keep it for holidays. But not everyone knows how to prepare these foods properly in winter.

SO THAT THE ROAST IS JUICY

A common mistake when defrosting meat is to leave it lying in the sink at room temperature. This product can only be defrosted if the temperature is no higher than 20 ° C. And this method is completely inadmissible in the summer heat. With the conditional economy of time, this defrosting loses most of the nutrients in the product. And if you miss the moment of readiness? You run the risk of having bad food, since the heat promotes the growth of harmful bacteria.

To defrost properly, you need a refrigerator.

Put a piece of meat in a pan, tray, or food container. Place a container with the product in the fridge. If you have a unit with fan in the freezing chamber, put close to the fan, if not – just on the shelf far from the freezer. In such conditions, a piece of meat weighing 2 kg will thaw for about a day. At the end of the process you get a piece of meat with a pleasant fresh smell, uniform color and solid texture provided that the meat was frozen fresh and has not been defrosted before .

The best way to defrost is to use the freshness zone. At +1°C the defrosting is most correct.

If “guests are on the doorstep,” it’s acceptable to defrost meat in cold water. It is in the cold, not in the warm. With this method, the meat should be placed in an airtight bag and lowered into a container with cold water. Contact of meat with water is undesirable – it washes out most of the useful substances from the top layer of meat, and the use of hot or warm water leads to curdling of the proteins of the outer layer, which adversely affects the taste and appearance of the product. With this method, the defrosting time is significantly reduced, but also the taste and useful properties are somewhat lost. You should cook such meat immediately after defrosting.

Another way to defrost meat when time is a priority is the microwave oven. Slice meat into portions and put in the microwave, turning on the special defrosting modes. Making the right dish right away. By the way, the modern microwave has a “gentle defrosting” option.It takes a little longer, but it preserves the nutritional and, more importantly, the taste properties of the meat better.

NOT TO FEEL SORRY FOR THE BIRD

The rules for defrosting poultry are the same as for defrosting meat. The difference is that meat thawed in the refrigerator can rest for a while, but poultry must be cooked immediately. If the bird is in original plastic wrapping, it should be removed only after defrosting.

THE GIFTS OF THE RIVERS, SEAS AND LAKES

The right fish is cut and frozen right on the fishing boats. Ideally, it reaches the shelves “straight from the sea”, without losing its useful properties and appearance. But on the way to the store or in the process of displaying it for sale, the fish can melt, and sellers refreeze it. Why it is bad? The fact is that pathogenic bacteria start to develop quickly in unfrozen raw fish, turning a healthy product into a source of the most serious intestinal infection. Repeated freezing leads to the preservation of these most harmful bacteria in the already affected fish.

Determining repeated freezing is difficult, but it is possible

1. First of all, assess the amount of ice on the fish.

The weight of the icing should not exceed 5% of the weight of the fish, 6% of the weight of shrimp and other seafood, 14% of the weight of the fillet.

2. The fish has a yellowish tint, dark spots, its integrity is compromised, it is stripped, mangled, skewed – it must have been defrosted. Don’t buy!

This can be appreciated while still in the store, but only when defrosting at home are the following important signs of re-freezing revealed:

3. Fish gives off the smell of old fat.

4. The flesh of the fish is flaky and loose and turns into unappetizing mush while grilling.

And how does a “normal” fresh-frozen fish look like??

Unfortunately, this kind of meat is less and less common on supermarket shelves..

1. Color is silvery gray, dark red or pink gills.
2. Smooth, in one piece and without dents.
3. There should not be any icy crusts on freshly frozen fish!
4. Has a faint odor of fresh fish.

The best way to defrost whole fish or fillets is in the refrigerator.

Whole fish can be defrosted in cold, salted water. Calculation – a tablespoon of salt per liter of water. This method is not suitable for defrosting fillets: nutrients will be diluted and the taste and texture will change.

It is not recommended to defrost fish at room temperature, especially in hot weather – as we said before, harmful bacteria develop very quickly.

One more thing. Fish, fillets and seafood do not need to be completely defrosted. For example, salmon steak, not completely defrosted, gets juicier and more flavored after grilling.

Seafood, if necessary, can also be defrosted in the fridge. But, as a rule, they are cooked frozen. For example, boiled frozen shrimp is dipped in boiling salted water and you get a ready meal.

The main indicator of properly defrosted meat, poultry or fish is the amount of juice lost. Because with it the proteins, minerals and vitamins come out and the taste is lost. So the less juice is released during defrosting, the better quality we get.

FAST FOOD

It is better to cook semi-finished meat, poultry and fish without defrosting over a low heat. It may take a slight longer cooking time, but the result is well worth it! If you need to defrost, for example, minced meat for further cooking – the refrigerator is at your service.

GREENS FROM THE FIELDS

Proper defrosting of summer crops also requires proper freezing. Try to freeze your crops in batches. Let the portions be small, but it is better to open a few small portions than to lose half of a large portion – repeated freezing of fruits and vegetables is unacceptable!

Fruit

They are better to be cooked without defrosting – in this way all vitamins and minerals are preserved in the most wholesome way. Defrosting at room temperature will take away the lion’s share of the fruit’s juice and vitamins. So if you want defrosted raw fruits or berries, put them in a cellophane bag and then in cold water.

Vegetables

All the above mentioned also applies to vegetables, but here defrosting in the fridge is quite acceptable. For instance, on a chilly December night you decide to pamper your family with stuffed peppers. In the evening put a dish with the right amount of frozen peppers on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, and in the morning start cooking. And the peppers will make you happy! Defrosted at room temperature, they will lose a huge amount of juice and will have an unpresentable appearance. And when cooking borscht, for example, peppers are not defrosted but put in frozen form.

Mushrooms

You can freeze these forest produce both raw and boiled. Boiled mushrooms are frozen together with the broth in which they were boiled. And in the dish that you are going to cook, they are added together with the broth, without defrosting. Raw mushrooms can be defrosted on the bottom shelf of the fridge or they can be cooked without defrosting. And trust me, it tastes even better that way. And, of course, frozen mushrooms are much healthier than their pickled counterparts – they do not contain vinegar and freezing preserves all the vitamins.

Greens

Greens should never be defrosted! To be used in frozen form. For this reason, it must be sliced and frozen in small portions before freezing.

The main rule of defrosting is beautifully voiced in “The Prisoner of the Caucasus”, though, there this phrase is said for a different reason: “There is no need to hurry, yes?”