A freezer is an essential gadget in every home. Can you imagine how difficult it was for households to store meals and meat before this genius invention? Today, you can preserve food by simply placing it in a freezer- and there is a wide variety to choose from. However, the next issue comes when you return your frozen food to a temperature good enough for cooking or eating. The debate on the right way to thaw food is endless, but if not done correctly, you can affect the quality and safety of your food. Despite the numerous thawing techniques, rotating your food when thawing seems to be one of the effective ones.
What is thawing?
If you wonder what thawing is, it is a process of defrosting an item (in this case, food) and ensuring there is no ice left. In other words, thawing reverses the freezing process and returns the food to its original temperature or close to it. The aim here is to get a frozen product or food to a temperature usually above 0 degrees Celsius where there is no residual ice left. The terms “thawing” and “defrosting” can be used interchangeably.
Why should you thaw your food?
Thawing your food means that you’re less likely to have to throw your food away. When you start melting your frozen food, some portions of its outer surface begin to lose ice or warm up enough to eliminate the possibility of dangerous microorganisms from growing in your food items. However, because it can take hours for some foods to thaw correctly, they become exposed to these microorganisms for some time.
That means, while you wait for your food to defrost or warm up enough to use, the process of fermentation slowly starts to work. Properly thawing your food will ensure that you don’t put your health at risk or end up throwing the food away.
How to thaw food properly?
When thawing frozen food, it is essential to plan and melt in a refrigerator to remain safe and at a constant temperature. Besides using a fridge, there are two other ways to thaw food safely: cold water or the microwave. It is also safe to let the food item thaw while you cook. However, for some items such as meat, this may cause a problem. That is why proper thawing is essential.
Why should you rotate food when thawing it?
When thawing frozen food, you want to ensure that every side of it defrosts as evenly as possible. And you can only achieve that by rotating the food. Depending on the size of the food item, be sure to turn it about two to three times on its various sides to allow for an even thawing process. Turning or rotating your food when thawing also prevents bacteria formation, especially with poultry and meat products. You want to have an even defrosting process as possible to avoid cross-contamination or affect your food quality.