Sometimes I come across something on Reddit that makes me stop everything and say, “Hey, why haven’t I written about that?” Around a month ago, a Reddit user in the Cooking subreddit brought up something that bugs the heck out of me. It’s the “thaw overnight in the refrigerator” lie! If you’ve ever placed a beef roast or a bunch of frozen chicken in the fridge to thaw overnight, only to find it pretty much still frozen the next day, you’ll know how frustrating this advice is! So, why do people give this advice?
The Reddit user pretty much explained the problem: If your refrigerator likely isn’t warm enough to allow anything substantial to thaw overnight. Some small things will thaw overnight, but many larger items won’t. How long you need to keep it in the refrigerator depends on the weight and the fridge settings you use.
I don’t know what temperature people who say this are keeping their refrigerator at, but if it’s warm enough that your meat thaws from frozen solid in it overnight, there’s no way it’s any safer than leaving it on the counter. Just put two chicken breasts in the fridge overnight to thaw aka doing nothing for no benefit because, 12 hours later, they’re still frozen as solid as when they went in. — barenakedlad
The replies were not much help. They became focused on the warnings about defrosting and, of all things, botulism, rather than the real question, which is, why do people think this works? Why do they say it? Any frozen poultry or meat of any real size will simply not thaw in the fridge overnight. It will take a lot longer. So, I’ll tell you why this advice exists!
Why Do They Say “Thaw Overnight in the Fridge?”
There are two main reasons we are often told to thaw meat or poultry overnight in the refrigerator: 1) Unquestioned dogma, and 2) CYA – when in doubt, cover your ass.
First, though, we have to figure out why the advice exists in the first place. It comes down to this: The more slowly you thaw frozen meat or poultry, the safer it is. To thaw it slowly, you must let it sit in a relatively cool environment so that while it thaws, none of the meat or poultry dips into the Danger Zone of food temperatures, between 40 and 140 °F. These are temperatures warm enough for pathogenic bacteria to grow.
The refrigerator, while allowing frozen items to defrost, does so very slowly without any portion reaching below 40°F or even lower, depending on your refrigerator settings. So, in other words, letting meat, poultry, or fish thaw slowly in the refrigerator is about the safest way to defrost it. And, sure, anything will eventually thaw out in the refrigerator, just probably not overnight. Now, let’s discuss the reasons people say it.
Dogma: Most food bloggers will simply repeat this advice without questioning it, even then they themselves don’t actually thaw food overnight in the fridge, or even when they know it doesn’t work consistently.
If they can’t explain a viable and safe alternative, they will stick to the “place in refrigerator overnight” advice. Most of us are not so organized as to have even planned the next day’s meal, let alone to remember to take something out of the freezer to thaw in the fridge for the whole night. I know I never remember! I’m too busy writing about these things to remember to do them.
CYA – It’s just the safest advice to give. This advice is also combined with a little practicality. Put yourself in the food maker’s shoes, or the food writer’s shoes: Are you going to tell folks to start thawing their roast in the fridge two days in advance of cooking it? Probably not. It’s impractical. And to use another safe method, cold water, requires a lot more explanation. So, to be safe, people stick with the overnight in the fridge advice. They let you deal with it when it doesn’t work.
Again, for the most part, trying to thaw meat or poultry in the refrigerator overnight doesn’t always work. And, it is difficult to know just how long any one item needs to thaw. For a large item like a frozen turkey or chicken, it takes around 24 hours for every 5 pounds of weight. Smaller items like a pound of ground beef, a boneless steak, or some chicken breasts may thaw within 24 hours, depending on how cold your refrigerator is set.
However, the best way to be sure is to place the item in the fridge even earlier than a day before. It is perfectly safe to start thawing something in the fridge a few days before you need it. Even after it has completely defrosted, it can safely stay in the fridge for a few days before you use it. The refrigerator is not the only safe way to thaw meat, chicken, turkey, etc., though.
Cold Water Method For Thawing
I know what you think: You should never thaw meat or chicken in cold water! You probably think that because you’ve seen Gordon Ramsey screaming at someone for doing it, or some other chef on TV yelling about it. They are talking about thawing unsealed meat or poultry in cold water in a restaurant kitchen. This is a big no-no! It risks cross-contamination of kitchen surfaces and allows bacteria from the air and even the water to come into contact with the meat or poultry. It also allows water to penetrate the food, resulting in a watery and gross product.
However, it is safe to thaw meat or poultry in a sealed plastic container. If the food is packed in a cryovac plastic container, then you can thaw it inside the sealed package in water. If the meat or poultry is sealed in a grocery store tray and plastic wrapping, which is not water-tight and air-tight, then you can place the entire item into a large plastic Ziploc bag. Squeeze out the access air, seal the bag, and submerge it in cold water.
After submerging the food in cold water in a sealed plastic container, you need to change the water every 30 minutes or so to make sure the water stays cold. This will keep the food out of the danger zone while it thaws. Here are some approximate times for cold water thawing:
- ~ 1 lbs meat, poultry or seafood: 1 hour or less
- ~ 2 lbs meat, poultry, or seafood: 2 hours or less
- ~ 3-to 4 lbs meat, poulry, or seafood: 3 hours or less.
- Whole turkeys or chicken: approx. 30 minutes per pound.
Unlike when thawed in the refrigerator, food thawed using the cold water method should be cooked immediately.
Microwave Method For Thawing
Many people believe that any thawing method that uses heat is dangerous because portions of the food will reach the Danger Zone. While this is true, you can use the microwave as long as you cook the food immediately; there is no real danger. Make sure to cook it to the appropriate safe temperature for the meat or poultry you are using. Just reaching the danger zone for a short period is not unsafe if the food is not allowed to remain in this zone for very long. It takes time for bacteria to multiply.
Use your microwave’s defrost setting according to the weight of the item you are defrosting. This method, of course, while safe, will also start partially cooking portions of the meat, poultry, or fish, resulting in an unevenly cooked and partially dried-out end product. So, it is the least desirable method.
Other Thawing Methods
Besides the refrigerator, cold water, or the microwave, other common methods of defrosting are considered unsafe because of the length of time it takes. For example, if you thaw meat at room temperature on the countertop, the surface of the meat can become warm and reach the danger zone well before the interior even thaws. By the time the whole portion thaws, much of the food will have been sitting at the danger zone, allowing bacteria to multiply. You should not defrost beef, chicken, turkey, etc. at room temperature. You also should not thaw items in the garage, on the porch, or anywhere else you think is safer because it is colder.
