Thawing frozen meat

Fresh meat is almost always better than frozen meat because when meat freezes the water crystals expand and puncture cell walls spilling out the juices that keep meat tender and juicy. Ever notice the pink liquid in the bottom of the bag when you defrost meat? No way to get it back. That said, meat frozen when fresh is usually better than meat that was frozen after sitting around for a week or so.

There are three ways to defrost meat safely: In the refrigerator, sink thawing, and cooler thawing. Never thaw meat at room temp. That is a recipe for fluid loss via all your apertures.

1) Refrigerator thawing. This is the easiest method. Leave the meat in its packaging in a pan deep enough to catch drips. Allow one day for every four pounds, so if you have a 20 pound turkey to cook on Thursday, you need to start thawing it on Sunday.

2) Sink thawing. Leave the meat in its sealed packaging. Put it in the sink and cover it with cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes to make sure the surface is kept cold. Allow 30 minutes per pound, so if you have a 20 pound turkey, you will need 10 hours, so make sure to set the alarm for early Thursday morning!

3) Cooler thawing. Leave the meat in the sealed packaging. Place it in a plastic insulated cooler. Cover with cold water. After an hour add a quart of ice and add ice as needed, perhaps every hour, in order to keep the temp under 55F.