What to cook for dinner? A question that comes up every afternoon. Before you go to some gourmet recipes, needed extra time, check out these quick ideas on how to defrost chicken fast and safely.
Once you have the protein ready, you will be able to prepare Masterchef plates. An easy-peasy way to make your family member happy with a delicious dinner. Moreover, your meal will have a better taste, and you will be sure you are serving a portion of healthy food on the table.
Besides the tempting flavor of your meals, you should never forget about the dangerous risk of foodborne illness of the improperly handled chicken. There are bacterias that can make you sick and are really dangerous for your health. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) bacterias such as salmonella, staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and listeria monocytogenes could be found in raw chicken and in some really bad cases, could cause death.
Here is why there are some easy ways to avoid spreading them while cooking chicken meat.
- never rinse chicken meat under running water, it can splash the bacterias all around your kitchen;
- never thaw the meat over your kitchen counter, bacteria sprout at room temperature;
So next time when you are running out of time, or just forgot to take the chicken out of the freeze use some of the methods below.
How To Defrost Chicken Fast And Safely
Microwave
Probably the most popular way to defrost chicken fast and safely. Some microwaves even have a special defrost program. In case you do have it, simply add the chicken meat in microwave pot and hit the defrost button. In some occasions, you need to add the chicken meat weight in order to get the best defrosted meat. Please make a note, microwave defrosted chicken must be cooked immediately, in order to avoid all the danger bacterias to thrive.
In The Fridge
This is the safeties chicken defrost method. If you follow your weekly meal plan, and Thursday is the chicken meat day, for example, use this method. Simply take the chicken out of the freeze the night before, place it in a bowl, and put it in the fridge. This method is great, and using it gives you a day or two to keep it in the fridge before you cook it.
Cold Water
Defrosted in 2- 3 hours this method require more preparations and time. Pack the chicken meat in leakproof plastic bags in order to keep the meat away from bacterias. Place the chicken bags in large bowl and fill it with cold water. Change out the water in every 30 minutes.
Don’t Thaw It At All
It is perfectly safe to cook the chicken meat withouth thawing it in the oven or on the stove. Of course, you will need extrta cooking time. But when it comes to the latest cooking trends using slower cookers and crocpots better use a thawed chicken.