This article was co-authored by JoAnna Minneci and by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure. JoAnna Minneci is a retired Professional Chef based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. With 18 years of experience, Chef JoAnna specialized in teaching others how to cook through private cooking lessons, team-building events, and wellness and nutrition classes. She also appeared in numerous television shows on networks such as Bravo and Food Network. Chef JoAnna received Culinary Arts training from the Art Institute of California at Los Angeles. She is also certified in sanitation, nutrition, kitchen management, and cost control.
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While it’s always better to defrost meat, vegetables, and frozen food in the refrigerator, sometimes you simply need to thaw some food fast. There are several ways to defrost food quickly and safely without giving any bacteria the necessary time to grow in your food, which is the main concern when thawing food outside of the fridge. Meat can be quickly thawed in cold or warm water, although warm water is a little riskier if you let some of the water cool for too long. Veggies, thinner cuts of meat, noodles, and fruits can be easily defrosted in the microwave. When it comes to bread and other baked goods, opt for the oven to keep your items from getting soggy.
Tip: This method is excellent for meat or cooked meals that you need to reheat, but it isn’t preferred for cheese, bread, or baked goods.
Warning: Never microwave frozen food in a plastic bag or aluminum foil wrap. You’ll absolutely ruin your food and you could even start a fire in your microwave.
Tip: You don’t have to use aluminum foil to line your baking sheet, but you can if you’d like. Breaded items shouldn’t stick to the aluminum foil if they’ve been cooked before, but you can line it with cooking spray if you want to play it safe.
Warning: This method only works with thinner cuts of meat that are less than 2–3 pounds (0.91–1.36 kg) and take 15 minutes or less to thaw. Thicker meats will take too long to thaw using this method and you may end up giving bacteria time to grow on the outer layers of your meat.
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