Tips

Meat frozen harder than rock: Add a spoonful of this spice, meat thawed in just 5 minutes, fresh and delicious as new

To expedite the thawing process of meats, consider the following methods.

21 April, 2024

Nowadays, many families store frozen meat in their refrigerators’ freezer compartments for future use. When it is time to cook the meat, it is thawed.

There are various ways to thaw meat. Usually, if you have already planned what to cook and are not in a rush, you can move the meat from the freezer compartment to the refrigerator compartment a day before, so that it thaws gradually. This is a safe method that ensures the quality of the meat. The disadvantage of this method is that it is time-consuming.

To thaw meat faster, you need to use other methods.

Thawing meat with salt and vinegar

To speed up the meat thawing process, you will need two types of condiments: salt and vinegar.

Prepare a small bowl of water, then add a tablespoon of salt and a little vinegar. Stir until the vinegar and salt are dissolved. Now, put the meat that needs to be thawed in it.

Do not soak the meat in plain water because this will make it bland. Adding salt and vinegar will help the meat retain its flavor when cooked.

White vinegar contains a lot of acetic acid. This substance can lower the freezing point of water, thus speeding up the thawing process. Meanwhile, salt has a bactericidal effect and also speeds up the thawing process.

Following this method, it only takes about 5 minutes for the meat to thaw and soften.

You don’t need to soak the meat until it is completely soft, just until it is thawed. The meat should still be slightly firm, as this will make it easier to slice. You can slice the meat into thin, even slices while it is still cold.

Thawing with salt

If you are afraid that vinegar will affect the taste of the meat, you can just use salt to thaw it. Take a bowl of warm water about 40 degrees Celsius (do not use water at a higher temperature because it can cook the outside of the meat). Add 2 tablespoons of salt to the warm water and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Put the meat in the salt water to soak. Thawing in this way will help speed up the thawing process of the meat and the salt will also prevent the growth of some bacteria.

Thawing with sugar

Prepare a bowl of warm water about 40 degrees Celsius (mix cold water and boiling water in a ratio of 5:1). Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and stir until dissolved. Put the meat that needs to be thawed into the sugar water. After about 7-10 minutes, the meat will soften and can be cooked.

Thawing with metal pots

You will need 2 metal pots.

First, place a pot upside down on the countertop. Place the meat that needs to be thawed on the bottom of the pot.

Fill the other pot with water to create weight and place it on top of the meat. Place the meat between the two pots.

After about 5-10 minutes, you will see that the meat has softened.

Metal is an excellent conductor of heat. It will transfer heat from the environment into the meat to melt the ice.

Holding the meat between two large metal surfaces, plus the weight of the water, increases the surface area of the meat exposed to room temperature, making heat transfer more efficient and thus thawing the meat faster.

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Frequently asked questions

The safest method is to transfer the meat from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment a day in advance. This allows the meat to thaw gradually, ensuring its quality. However, this method is time-consuming.

White vinegar contains acetic acid, which lowers the freezing point of water, thus accelerating the thawing process. It also helps the meat retain its flavor.

Salt has a bactericidal effect, preventing the growth of bacteria. It also speeds up the thawing process.

Metal is an excellent conductor of heat. By placing the meat between two metal pots, with one pot filled with water for added weight, you increase the surface area of the meat exposed to room temperature, making heat transfer more efficient and resulting in faster thawing.