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How To Defrost Chicken Fast- Here You Go!
Do you have only 2 hours or so and you have guests coming over? once you learn how to defrost chicken fast within 2 hours or so, you do not have to worry about guests anymore.
If you have kept chicken in your freezer and looking for ways to how to defrost chicken fast, you must be concerned about food safety as well. Learning how to defrost chicken fast with safety takes only a few minutes or an hour. It would not make the food taste a lot better but you’ll surely not feel sick after eating it.
Never eat frozen or improperly handled chicken in a hurry. Here’s what you need to know on safety and how to defrost chicken fast for your family.
Health Hazards Of Not Handling Chicken Properly
Foodborne illnesses are harmful and chicken out of all has the potential to make a person quite ill when not handled well. According to the USDA or United States Department Of Agriculture, the bacterial strains that are likely to be found on chicken in raw form are Listeria monocytogenes, staphylococcus aureus, E.Coli, and salmonella.
These bacterias can make you ill. At worst, they might even lead to death. Cooking chine to its internal temperature and useful thawing practices will help reduce these risks. You must heat it to 74 degrees Fahrenheit.
You should not thaw meat on the counter of your chicken as many bacterias thrive at room temperature. Do not rinse the chicken under running water simply. This might splash bacteria around the kitchen leading to infestation.
Here are some ways using which you will know how to defrost chicken fast and with utmost safety.
How To Defrost Chicken Fast
Here are different ways to defrost the chicken.
1. How To Defrost chicken fast using the microwave
This is the fasted method to defrost chicken but you must find a way that not only does fast but also helps maintain safety.
This is the fastest way to defrost the chicken but remember you should cook the chicken as soon s you remove it from the microwave to avoid bacteria. This is done because the microwave will heat the chicken at a temperature between 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit where even bacterias may thrive. Only cooking the chicken afterward to proper high temperature will kill dangerous bacteria and give you utmost safety.
When handling the microwave to thaw or defrost chicken, it is necessary to:
- thaw or defrost only the quantity of chicken a person requires at that time from the complete package.
- put the chicken in any microwave-safe vessel or container that comes along with it.
- prepare the chicken quickly after defrosting it
- clean this microwave completely afterward
Utilizing a microwave to thaw any meats can give rise to warm spots or spaces that have previously started to cook throughout the defrosting process. For such reason, it is necessary to thaw only what is required and cook chicken or your meat right away.
2. How to defrost chicken fast using cold water
This method will take nearly 2 hours or so if you have this much time, you can use this method as it is highly reliable. To use this method, you can follow the methods given above:
- Get a leakproof plastic bag and place the chicken breast or any chicken inside it. This will prevent water from entering inside and damaging the meat tissues as week avoid bacteria from infecting the food items.
- Fill any large bowl or you can use your kitchen sink too with cold water. Now submerge the chicken into it completely.
- Change the water after every 30 minutes for safety.
3. How to defrost chicken fast using a refrigerator
This method will need a lot of preparation, to begin with. But it is highly recommended for safety. Chicken typically requires one full day to defrost, so you can plan the meals. Once the chicken is defrosted, it can remain in the fridge for 2 days before cooking if this method is used.
According to the USDA, it is safe to cook chicken without defrosting at all. The only drawback of cooking chicken directly is that it will usually take a lot longer but that’s fine.
4. Cooking Frozen Chicken
In numerous cases, it is desirable to cook the chicken if it is frozen. The USDA has stated this is harmless to do this in many cases as long as an individual increases the cooking time later by 50% and makes sure that the chicken touches a safe interior temperature of about 165°F or 74°C.
However, there are some limitations to this practice. People must not cook this frozen chicken using a slow cooker or simply in the microwave, for instance. These techniques cause the chicken to prevail at an alarming temperature for exceedingly long. To cook your chicken with the help of such methods, it is most useful to defrost it thoroughly first.
To cautiously cook the chicken from its frozen state, a person must do the following:
- Wash your hands using soap and water for nearly 20 seconds ere touching raw chicken.
- Do not rinse or wash the chicken. This is probably dangerous to both types- frozen and unfrozen chicken.
- Similarly, attend the frozen chicken as you attend an unfrozen one with concern to food safety. Use a different chopping board and separate utensils and withdraw cross-contamination among the cooked ingredients.
- Use a process of cooking that will heat the chicken instantly, such as using the stove or an oven. Increase the average cooking time by about 50%.
- Once you are done, review the internal temperature of that chicken with the help of a meat thermometer (available online and in markets) When it shows 165°F (74°C) or higher, displace the chicken of the heat.
- Clean the thermometer using hot water and soap.
- With the help of an antibacterial wipe or simply soap and water, wipe down all the kitchen surfaces that might have made a connection or direct contact with the chicken or by any of the fluids from the defrosting chicken.
Can you refreeze defrosted chicken?
You can freeze the chicken again that you defrosted inside a freezer within 1–2 days of completely defrosting it. This involves whether the chicken is yet raw or cooked already.
However, if an individual thaw the chicken using a water bath or microwave, they must cook it quickly after defrosting. Only if they have followed this they can cautiously refreeze it.
If a person thaws chicken in the water bath or microwave but they have not quickly cooked it, it might not be a good idea to eat it safely. It is also not secure enough or harmless enough to refreeze chicken in this situation.
Refreezing can influence the essence of the chicken, as can letting the chicken in a freezer for a lengthy period. However, while chilled or frosted, the chicken is still safe from bacterial contamination and growth.
The Bottom Line
It is not advised by the USDA to cook frozen chicken using a slow cooker. It is advised that one must defrost the chicken and then cook it in a crockpot. This is a great way to make a delicious meal. You can start it early in the day and you will receive it in great condition by dinnertime. You can use fast ways but know that safety comes first.
Handling the chicken properly will also reduce the risk of illnesses that is foodborne for your family. Develop the baits if planning your meals 24 hours in advance to make sure poultry is ready to be cooked properly the next day.
These were some amazing ways to defrost the chicken and enjoy its delicious taste by cooking it.
