How to Properly Thaw Foods

HOW TO PROPERLY THAW FOODS

How many of you before going to work in the morning open the freezer door and pull out your meat for dinner and place it in the sink to thaw?  While you are at work the bacteria are having a field day multiplying on your chicken or beef.  If food is thawed improperly, food borne microorganisms can grow and make it unsafe.  Bacteria can grow from one cell to 1 billion in just 10 hours.  Pretty scary!

Here are a few quick tips to keep your food safe:

1.  The best way to thaw food is in the refrigerator at 41 degrees or lower.  This keeps food out of the temperature danger zone (41-135).  This may require a little more preplanning but is the safest way.

2.  Submerge any frozen product in cold running water (70 degrees or lower).

3.  Food can be thawed in the microwave but only if you are cooking it immediately.  Microwave thawing can start the cooking process.

4. Food can be thawed as part of the cooking process, as long as it reaches its minimum internal cooking temperature.  One example of this is cooking frozen hamburger patties.  They can go straight from the freezer to the grill without being thawed first.

Keep your family safe!