Food Handling Safety

The Four Fight BAC!™ Guidelines Clean Separate Cook Chill

Thawing There are several effective ways to thaw items. Refrigerator: The refrigerator allows slow, safe thawing. Make sure thawing meat and poultry juices do not drip onto other food. This kind of thawing is the safest, but requires the most amount of planning. A large frozen item needs 24 hours per every five pounds (lbs.) of weight to thaw. Smaller items need a full day. Cold Water: This method is quicker than refrigerator thawing, but requires more attention. You must place the item in a properly sized, leak proof plastic bag to make sure no contamination has or will take place. The bag is then submerged in cold water, and that water must be replaced every thirty minutes throughout the process. Each pound may defrost in an hour or less, larger items will take longer. Microwave: Using the microwave is another option, but among the others is not recommended. It is very difficult to know the proper defrosting time for a frozen item. They vary according to microwave, as well as the size and structure of what you are thawing. Remove the store wrapping and foam tray and place on a plate, loosely wrap in microwave safe material. If your microwave has a defrost setting, use that. If not, continually monitor the meat as to avoid cooking the meat before it is totally thawed. Cook immediately after.