Thawing frozen chicken: in the fridge, or in cold water changed every half hour
Left on the counter, the outer layer sits between 4°C and 60°C for hours, the range where bacteria multiply fastest.
You forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer, so it goes on the counter, or into a bowl of hot water, to hurry it along. Neither is safe, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, because the outside warms up long before the middle thaws.
Why not on the counter
Frozen food is safe for as long as it stays frozen. Once it starts to thaw and rises above 4°C, any bacteria that were there before freezing begin to multiply again. On a counter, the centre of a pack can still be solid while its outer layer sits in the “danger zone” between 4°C and 60°C, where bacteria grow fast. That is why raw meat and poultry should never spend more than two hours at room temperature.
The agency’s list of places not to thaw food also includes the car, the dishwasher, a plastic rubbish bag and anywhere outdoors.
Three safe ways
1. In the fridge. The safest and slowest. Even about half a kilo of boneless chicken or mince needs a full day. Once thawed, poultry, mince and seafood keep for another day or two before cooking; red-meat cuts for three to five days. Food thawed in the fridge can go back in the freezer uncooked, with some loss of quality.
2. In cold water. Faster, but it needs attention:
- Seal the chicken in a leak-proof bag.
- Submerge the bag in cold tap water, never hot or warm.
- Change the water every 30 minutes.
- About half a kilo thaws in an hour or less; 1.5 to 2 kg takes two to three hours.
- Cook it as soon as it has thawed, and don’t refreeze it before cooking.
3. In the microwave. The quickest, but thin edges start to cook while the rest thaws, which puts them in the danger zone. Cook straight away afterwards, in the microwave, oven or on the grill, and don’t refreeze before cooking.
No time at all
You can cook chicken straight from frozen, and the agency says this is safe. Expect it to take roughly 50% longer than the usual time for fresh or thawed meat.
Photo: Frozen chicken wings in a bag. By LapGaNaiom Bimdio, public domain (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, “The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods“.
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