USDA Reveals 4 Safe Methods of Defrosting Leftover Food to Avoid Life-Threatening Food Poisoning

Defrosting frozen food items seems barely complicated. The general practice is leaving the frozen item at room temperature or using a bowl of water to defrost it. However, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages people to make conscious choices about defrosting or thawing frozen foods. Thawing is the process of a frozen substance becoming soft or liquid due to warmer temperatures, per the Cambridge Dictionary. With food poisoning becoming rampant these days, safe thawing or defrosting of food is the preliminary measure to prevent the same. Hence, the USDA recommended four safe methods for thawing leftover food.

Refrigerator Thawing

USDA advises against thawing food on kitchen counters, using hot water, or leaving it at room temperature for over two hours. This is because as the food gets warmer than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, bacteria begin to multiply and enter the “Danger Zone” which extends until 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, pre-planning is required for refrigerator thawing due to the lengthy time process required. For big items like Turkey, a minimum of 24 hours is needed for complete defrosting for every 5 pounds of weight, and also for smaller proportions, like a pound of ground meat, and boneless chicken breasts, per the source. The latter can be stored for an additional two days before cooking whereas red meat items are safe to consume for another five days maximum. 

Cold Water Thawing

In this method, the frozen food is moved into a leak-proof container or plastic bag like Ziploc. The bag is then transferred into a bowl of cold tap water, making sure it is completely submerged. It is essential to be careful about any pores or leakages in the bag since it exposes the food to a plethora of microorganisms in the air or external environment. The water must be changed every half an hour and cooked immediately after thawing. Small items weighing around 3 to 4 pounds will be thawed completely in 3 hours. For turkeys, it takes about 30 minutes per round. It is recommended that the food is cooked before freezing it again. 

Microwave Thawing

Microwave thawing can be slightly risky as it involves dealing with warm temperatures. USDA suggests cooking the food as soon as thawing is complete because the exposure to heat in certain areas of the item will leave it in the Danger Zone. Moreover, using partially cooked food is risky for this method due to the presence of bacteria that might thrive in the warm settings of the microwave. So, the federal department strongly recommends cooking the food immediately after thawing. Also, refreezing of microwave-thawed food items can be done if and only if it is cooked beforehand. 

Cooking Right Away

The final and easiest method is cooking the frozen food without thawing or defrosting it. The USDA deems it safe to simply throw frozen food into a hot pan and cook it in the frozen state. While it may take longer to cook the item, about 50% longer, it weeds out the possibility of contamination and food poisoning due to bacteria. On an important note, the federal department cautions against thawing food items in a garage, basement, car, kitchen counter or any outdoor setting. This may pose severe food poisoning risks owing to higher chances of bacterial contamination.