Handling and Preparing Fresh Chicken: When handling fresh chicken, use a separate cutting board and knife to avoid cross-contamination with other foods such as fruits or vegetables. This helps prevent the spread of bacteria between different types of food.
Defrosting Chicken in the Fridge: When defrosting chicken in the fridge, wrap it with cling film and place it in the bottom compartment, ensuring it doesn’t come into contact with other foods. This method can take a full day, so plan ahead and place the chicken in the fridge at the right time to have it ready when needed.
Water Defrosting: Always defrost chicken in cold water, not warm or hot. Higher temperatures promote bacterial growth. Keep the chicken sealed in its bag and submerge it in water, changing the water every 30 minutes until it’s fully defrosted.
Microwave Defrosting: Defrosting chicken in the microwave is simple, as most microwaves have a dedicated defrost function. Place the chicken in the microwave and defrost in short bursts of 1-2 minutes, checking each time to see if it’s fully defrosted, and continue if needed.
Cooking with Frozen Chicken: On occasions where you’re short on time, you can choose to cook with frozen chicken without defrosting it first. However, this method is only suitable for oven cooking or using a hob, not a regular stove, to prevent bacterial growth.
How Long Does It Take to Defrost Chicken? It takes approximately 5 hours to defrost half a kilogram of chicken, so a 2.5 kg chicken will take a full day to defrost.
Common Mistakes When Defrosting Chicken: Avoid defrosting chicken by rinsing it under running water, as this can spread foodborne bacteria through water droplets. Also, refrain from defrosting chicken by leaving it out at room temperature overnight, as the warmth and humidity create an ideal environment for bacterial growth.
Safe Marinading: To ensure the chicken is thoroughly cooked and all bacteria are eliminated, cook the chicken to a minimum internal temperature of 74 degrees Celsius. Alternatively, you can cook it until it reaches 64 degrees Celsius and maintain that temperature for 9 minutes. If using a marinade, boil it for 10 minutes before brushing it onto the chicken.
Source: VOV
Defrosting fish: Don’t soak it in cold water, use this to make it quickly tender, flavorful, not fishy
You can quickly thaw fish while still keeping it fresh and delicious using the method below.
The Ultimate Guide to Quick-Thawing Meat: For Tender, Juicy Results
Introducing a quick and easy way to defrost your meat in just 5 minutes with 2 simple ingredients that you already have in your kitchen.
The Ultimate Guide to Freezing and Thawing Chicken: How to Keep It Fresh and Tasty Just Like the Day You Bought It
Frozen chicken meat tends to become mushy and loses its natural sweetness. Fear not, as I’m about to reveal a secret to freezing and thawing chicken while retaining its freshness as if it were just purchased.
The Ultimate Guide to Quick Meat Thawing: Two Techniques to Transform Tough Meat into Tender Delicacies in Just 5 Minutes
“Defrosting meat is a tricky business and many believe that a quick-fix is to simply soak it in water. However, this is not the case and could potentially be harmful. The truth is, there’s a lot more to it and we’re here to reveal the secrets to safe and efficient defrosting.”
