How to thaw frozen ground beef meat? We have been in this predicament before.
You somehow forgot that you bought some ground beef from the supermarket. Because you were planning to whip up some burritos for the upcoming new series. That you wanted to binge watch over the long weekend.
And as the days and weeks have gone by. You somehow have forgotten about the ground beef and it has been in the freezer. Chilling idly, waiting for it to be thawed out, prepared, cooked and eaten.
And now that you have finally arrived at the very moment. Where you are already prepared and ready to cook the ground beef in question. You begin to ask yourself this question:
“How do I thaw frozen ground beef?”
First thing that might occur in your mind. Is that perhaps you need to run your frozen ground beef towards something that is hot. Instant and has heat dissipation done so conveniently, like the sort that microwave ovens have!
So, for our first subtopic, we are going to discuss exactly that one.
How To Defrost Ground Beef In The Microwave
In what particular scenario would you have to be in. To require having to bring out the big guns when it comes to defrosting ground beef?
Microwave ovens are notoriously power hungry due to their wattage and power consumption. Often the unsuspecting culprit in exorbitantly high electricity bills in many households all throughout the world. Although innovations have been made in the direction of power saving features within microwave ovens. Which have made them more economical and efficient machines.
I digress. Now, you would only have to resort to the microwave oven. If you do not have enough time to defrost it, maybe in the five minutes or so.
One such instance that you would have to consider throwing in your frozen ground beef is if your friend called abruptly. Saying that she wants to grill the ground beef that she left over three nights ago into burger patties. She said she is on her way and she has brought along with her some hamburger buns, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mayonnaise and even onions!
First
Now, the first thing that you are going to need to do is to acquire a plate, pan or any container. That can hold liquid, the amount of ground beef as well it being safe for the microwave oven itself.
Take the plastic that the frozen ground beef came with. Dispose of it properly and place the ground beef into the microwave oven safe plate. Set the microwave oven to about fifty percent of its power. Let it run through for about two to three minutes.
Every forty-five seconds, by using tweezers or a spatula. Stop the microwave oven from its course and flip the ground beef and rotating them as well. Ensuring that you are breaking the frozen ground beef chunks apart for a more thorough and proper dissipation of heat. You would want that the frozen ground beef cover as much surface area as possible. To ensure that the radiated heat from the microwave oven is properly and evenly distributed.
Second
Continue doing so until the ground beef is completely thawed. The amount of time you would have to completely do this repeatedly. Depends on how much frozen ground beef you intend to thaw out.
You may notice that some, if not all of the beef that is resting on the outer areas of the clump might begin to fizzle and cook due to the heat, which is why it is imperative that you rotate the meat evenly so that the radiated heat is properly spread and is not only focused on the meat that is on the outer layer.
Also, due to the heat already being introduced by the microwave oven, you would then have to cook the ground beef immediately.
Thawing Ground Beef On Counter – Is It Safe? The Answer Might Surprise You!
As safe and economical as it may seem to be, defrosting or thawing ground beef, or any kind of meat for that matter over the kitchen counter is not safe!
Why?
The thing is, bacterial growth is quite rampant at room temperatures, or even in the range of forty to one hundred degrees Fahrenheit or four to thirty-eight degrees Celsius. Therefore, exposing your ground beef to thaw in such an environment will pose a potential health risk for you or anyone else who might be eating your ground beef.
How to minimize bacteria
What you can do to minimize the rate of bacterial infection is that the moment you take the frozen ground beef out of the freezer, you have to immediately place it in an airtight zip lock back and shut it instantly. The airtight compartment will leave a vacuum within the frozen ground beef which will kill aerobic bacteria and keep your frozen ground beef safe.
With the zip lock sealed tight and shut, place your frozen ground beef on top of a catch basin and let it defrost and thaw for around thirty minutes or so.
It is not advisable that you leave your frozen ground beef thawing for more than two hours, as the ground beef might start to moisten from within and become soggy, therefore not being able to retain much of the meatiness and firmness.
In any case, plan ahead. If you intend to cook your ground beef at nine o’clock in the morning, let the frozen ground beef thaw out at eight thirty.
Conclusion
There are various ways you can approach the question on how to thaw frozen ground beef.
As discussed, we have tacked the method at which you are to utilize the microwave oven, as well as the precautions that you need to consider and the steps necessary to be able to evenly thaw the ground beef.
We have also discussed on the unsafe act of letting your ground beef thaw out in the air in the kitchen counter, and how you must place them in airtight zip lock bags and place it above a catch basin if you wish to do so in this manner.
Read my other post on defrosting ground beef and other meat.
