You’ve Probably Been Defrosting Your Food Wrong All This Time
[Photo: Pexels]
Most of us defrost things on autopilot - we take it out of the freezer and stick it in the fridge overnight, or put it in the microwave.
But, according to Norwegian food scientists, this is not the way to defrost our dinner and the best way is to use water instead.
Susanne Ekstedt, a researcher at the SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden in Gothenburg, says it’s best to thaw food in water if you’re planning to use it straight away.
The correct method is to seal your food in plastic and warm it up using cold water straight from the tap (this is because water is pretty conductive).
As a result it’ll taste better too.
[Photo: Pexels]
Ekstedt told the Metro: “This is something food scientists have known to be true for a long time now. But this knowledge is mostly confined to the food industry. Most people don’t seem to be aware of this.’”
Bjørg Egelandsdal, a professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Ås also said: “There has never been any good scientific evidence behind the advice that food should be thawed in the refrigerator.
“Maybe the idea behind this advice is that refrigerator thawing is most hygienic. It is true that meat and other foodstuffs should be stored in the refrigerator if they are thawed, but it is definitely better to thaw food quickly in water if you are going to use it right away.”
Defrosting food: Dos and don’ts
- Always thoroughly defrost food before cooking it
- Clean and disinfect your sink after defrosting food in it
- Only use cold water to defrost food
- Even if food looks defrosted on the outside, check it is all the way through
- Defrost smaller amounts of food at once for safer results
- Freeze meat and fish before its use-by date
- Eat meat and fish within 24 hours of defrosting
- Never re-freeze meat or fish.
How do you defrost and store your frozen food? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.
