Three Ways

After writing about the importance of freezing food, I realized there is some very important information about defrosting that I should write about; specifically, how to safely defrost meat. Before I started working for a cooking & nutrition organization, my knowledge of defrosting was fairly limited. But after working with dozens of culinary professionals (caterers, chefs, bakers, you name it!) and nutrition experts, I became hyper-aware of the dangers that can result from unsafe methods of defrosting meat. And as it turns out, a lot of people don't know how to safely defrost meat. So, I am here to teach you the ways. You may think I'm paranoid or say I have OCD. But I'd rather not eat mass amounts of bacteria, thank you very much. 


Sure, as a young and healthy individual, the effect of consuming bacteria (like e.coli or salmonella) won't be fatal or seriously damaging. I'll probably get an upset stomach, or maybe some minor food poisoning (the details of which I will spare you). Let's just say, I'll be uncomfortable. But if I was an unhealthy individual, if my immune system was compromised in some way, or if I was older than a youthful twenty-something-year-old, then the result of consuming bacteria could be very serious. We're not just talkin' about discomfort here. If your grandma comes over for dinner, and you give her a piece of chicken that was improperly defrosted, your innocent grandma could end up seriously ill...like, hospitalization and worse. THAT is why it is so incredibly, tremendously, ridiculously important that you properly defrost meat. 


But, before I tell you how to safely defrost meat, you need to know a bit about bacteria (don't lie, you're kind of excited). Your meat probably has some bacteria on it. Let's face it, the food system in the US is not something to brag about, and even organic chickens may step in some poop. What you need to know about bacteria are three temperature zones. When bacteria is at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below (the temp. at which your refrigerator should be), it stops growing. Bacteria does not die at this temperature, but at least it stops growing. That's why your meats and dairy products need to stay refrigerated - so that any bacteria in/on them doesn't start to multiply. The temperature at which bacteria dies depends on the type of meat. For example, poultry needs to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, in order for the bacteria to be killed. Check out this complete list of internal temperatures for different meats. If the meat does not reach the instructed internal temperature, then bacteria could still be present... and growing. The temperature at which bacteria grows is between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is known as the danger zone, because bacteria thrives and multiplies rapidly in this temperature zone (every 20 minutes the amount of bacteria doubles). Conveniently for bacteria, the temperature of your house is somewhere in that danger zone. Yum.


Here's a visual to help you understand how fast bacteria grows:
At 0 minutes (you just took your meat out of the fridge, onto your counter) your piece of chicken has 5 little bacteria on it: BBBBB
Seemingly innocent. But then...
After 20 minutes of sitting on your counter (10 bacteria): BBBBBBBBBB
40 minutes (20 bacteria): BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
1 hour (40 bacteria): BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
2 hours (320 bacteria):  BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB


Do you see where I'm going with this? Do you ever leave meat on the counter to defrost overnight? How about taking a nice piece of chicken out from your fridge before you go to work, and leaving it on the counter all day long? Keep in mind, your house is the ideal environment for bacteria growth. Even if you were gone from your house for only 3 hours, your meat would have 2,560 bacteria that grew from the measly, initial 5. Ew. That's a lot of bacteria to kill. So, how do you get rid of them? Well, there are only two ways to kill bacteria: heat and bleach. You're certainly not going to bleach your food, so your only option is to cook your meat to the proper internal temperature. If you "wash" your chicken before cooking it, keep in mind that rinsing it in the sink with water does not kill any bacteria...in fact, this usually spreads the bacteria. Think about it. The water spraying on your chicken ricochets off onto other parts of your counter, including that pile of drying, clean dishes (well, no longer clean). You may feel the need to rinse your chicken off with water, lemon, or vinegar, but all you're doing is adding flavor, and potentially spreading the bacteria. For this reason, anytime you handle raw meat, you should use some sort of bleach solution (get a 2-cup spray bottle, fill it with 1/4 teaspoon pure bleach and the rest water), or bleach wipes to clean the surface of your counter, your cutting board, your knife, your sink (where meat juices may have dripped), and anything else that the raw meat/juices may have touched.


Here's the good news: if you properly defrost your meat, you significantly minimize the amount of bacteria growth that occurs. Instead of your meat defrosting in the danger zone all day, the only time your meat will ever reach the danger zone is right before you put it in the oven, on the grill, or in a pan, to cook.


So finally...the reason you read this post in the first place: The only three (that's right THREE) safe ways to defrost meat:
1. Move your (wrapped) meat from the freezer into your refrigerator. Place the meat either in the bottommost drawer of your fridge (to prevent the juices from leaking on anything...especially raw produce that you may not cook) or in a bowl (likewise, to contain any raw meat juices). Use this method when you're planning ahead - the night before you want to cook your meat, or even the morning of, move it from the freezer into the fridge.


2. Place your (wrapped) meat in a bowl filled with running cold water. Why does it need to be cold water? Do you want the bacteria to reach the danger zone temperature? I didn't think so. Cold water will slowly defrost your meat, while still keeping it in a safe temperature zone. And why running water? Well, that bowl of nice cold water is eventually going to warm up and create a perfect nesting ground for bacteria growth. Keep the water running (even just a few drips at a time), to ensure the temperature of the water never reaches the danger zone. I use this method when I get home from work: I put the meat in a bowl in the sink, and let the cold water drip while I chop my veggies, oil my pan, and prep the rest of the meal. Probably not the best method to use if you're gone for the day...you don't want to leave your sink running and come back to a swimming pool in your kitchen.


3. Unwrap your meat, place it in a microwave safe container, and microwave your meat on the defrost mode. Only use this method if you are going to immediately cook the meat. Microwaving the chicken spikes the temperature past the danger zone, but if you let the chicken sit on your counter while you finish prep work, that hotter temperature is going to rapidly drop straight into the danger zone. 


Are you paranoid now? Think you're gonna be a bit OCD about defrosting and cooking your meat? I didn't mean to make you scared. Honestly, I just want you to be safe! As long as you remember your three safe ways of defrosting meat, and then cook the meat to the proper internal temperature, then you'll be good to go! I just want to make sure you're not leaving chicken out on your countertop to defrost anytime soon...