You will often buy meat in large quantities at a discount price at a large supermarket and store it in the freezer before eating.
If you buy ingredients in bulk, it’s a little cheaper, and even if it’s hard to go to the grocery store often, there are many cases where you buy a large amount at once, freeze it, and take it out a little bit each time you need it.
It’s best to eat meat when it’s fresh, but if you have to freeze it before eating, let’s look at how to defrost it and how to eat it quickly and deliciously.
If you want to use it for cooking right now, but the meat is frozen hard, what are you doing? Have you ever experienced a loss of texture, taste, or smell when defrosting quickly in the microwave?
This time, I will tell you about various defrosting methods, and I will tell you the best way to defrost them. 냉동고기 해동법
1. Soak the meat in cold water
The most important point is “cold water”.
Never put it in hot or warm water because you want it to dissolve quickly. Put the meat in a waterproof container or an airtight zip pack and melt it with cold water. When using a zipper pack, defrost all air and then defrost in cold water.
It is recommended to change the water every 30 minutes, and one way is to turn on the cold water on a low level. It is faster than the time it takes to defrost in the refrigerator, but in the case of 500g of frozen meat, it may take an average of 1 hour to defrost.
Many people are afraid that if you put frozen meat in water, the juices will come out with it.
However, if you soak it in water for too long, some nutrients may be lost, so it is better to avoid it for a long time.
It is said that the reason meat that has been kept in the freezer for a long time smells is because of the blood from the spoiled meat or the smell of the refrigerator sucked by the meat. For this reason, it is said that it is good to thaw frozen meat by immersing it in cold water to remove the spoiled blood from the meat.
In other words, the method of thawing the old meat directly in cold water from freezing also plays a role in removing impurities and odors. 냉동고기 해동법
2. Defrost naturally in the refrigerator the day before.
It’s also the best way to defrost frozen meat. It is best to transfer them from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before eating and thaw them slowly. It takes some time, but it is a way to maximize the flavor and juiciness of the meat.
Since it is thawed little by little at a constant temperature, there is little risk of bacterial growth. At this time, it is important to place the frozen meat on a plate and then slowly thaw it so that the juice or blood that melted during the defrosting process does not contaminate the refrigerator.
3. Microwave defrosting
If you need to cook right away or haven’t been able to defrost beforehand, defrosting in the microwave is a quick and easy way to thaw. However, you must use the microwave’s “thaw” function.
However, it does not melt evenly like the aforementioned cold water or natural defrost, but only a specific part quickly melts or even the meat is overcooked and moisture is lost, so the juices can escape.
However, if you need to use a quick and easy microwave defrosting method, make sure that the aluminum foil or paper, which is a fire hazard, has been peeled off, and then defrosted in a special bowl.
Also, if you have defrosted in a microwave, it’s a good idea to wash the impurities or melted blood that causes the smell with water once.
4. Defrost using sugar water
It’s a method that has appeared on TV a lot. Pour 7 cups of water into lukewarm water and add 2 tablespoons of sugar to make sugar water. Too much sugar can spoil the taste of the meat, so it’s important to get the ratio right.
Soak the meat in sugar water for 10 minutes to defrost it to a ready-to-cook state. It is important not to exceed 20 minutes, as long soaking can cause the meat to become soft and sweet. It is good to use this method to drain the blood from the meat when making steamed ribs.
So far, we have learned how to defrost frozen meat. It is easy to keep meat in the freezer and eat it, but it is important to defrost it in the right way because bacteria can multiply if the defrosting method is wrong.
Once defrosted meat is re-frozen, it significantly reduces the taste and quality of meat and traps bacteria.