Defrosted chicken

[suziquzie]

Could we maybe have a "Questionable thawing method" forum???

I try SO hard not to click on these!!!!!

 

[Jeekinz]

Could we maybe have a "Questionable thawing method" forum???

I try SO hard not to click on these!!!!!

They call it "Poultry" here.

 

[Caine]

What gets me is, the people that are telling you to throw your chicken out are the same ones who will defrost theirs in the refrigerator, then let it sit on the counter long enough to come to room temperature before cooking it.

 

[GB]

What gets me is, the people that are telling you to throw your chicken out are the same ones who will defrost theirs in the refrigerator, then let it sit on the counter long enough to come to room temperature before cooking it.

And just who exactly are you talking about Caine? I do not see anyone who has said to defrost in the fridge saying to ever leave it on the counter for an extended period of time.

I think you are confusing chicken with a big hunk of steak. The people who do advocate letting meat come to room temp before cooking it are not saying it should be left on the counter long enough to be dangerous. Letting it sit out for an hour is usually sufficient. FDA guidelines say that meat is safe in the danger zone for up to two hours so there really is not contradiction in the advice being given Caine.

 

[Jeekinz]

And just who exactly are you talking about Caine? I do not see anyone who has said to defrost in the fridge saying to ever leave it on the counter for an extended period of time.

I think you are confusing chicken with a big hunk of steak. The people who do advocate letting meat come to room temp before cooking it are not saying it should be left on the counter long enough to be dangerous. Letting it sit out for an hour is usually sufficient. FDA guidelines say that meat is safe in the danger zone for up to two hours so there really is not contradiction in the advice being given Caine.

LOL....I never thought of that! I actually 1) leave it in the sink overnight to defrost 2) put it in the fridge during the day 3) leave it on the counter to "aclimate" before cooking. I do that will all meats. LOL

 

[ErikC]

First point I have to make about this (and I have made it before on other food safety threads): As soon as you ask the question, "is this safe?" you MUST answer "no." If the question has come up at all, that's a good enough sign that there is a danger, and this applies to poultry as much as anything. Sure, you might throw away food that was actually untainted, but the chance that you might end up eating tainted food is not worth the risk. Remember that food poisoning is potentially fatal!

If you want a good, fast, safe method to defrost a whole chicken, try brining it. Submerge it in cold water (completely) that has had salt and sugar added to it. You will get a really moist, tasty bird, and the water will regulate the temperature on the surface of the bird and prevent it from reaching the "danger zone". And it will defrost faster than if it is exposed to the air. Defrosting is not about temperature, it is about heat transfer, and water is far more efficient at it than air is.

 

[Douzer77]

Thats a great suggestion Erikc, have never heard of that before! Does that work for other meats to be defosted as well? How much salt and sugar? Just a dash or a bit more?

 

[GB]

Defrosting in cold liquid is the safest quickest way to defrost something.

I often times defrost chicken in my sink filled with ice water. It works amazingly well.

 

[ErikC]

Thats a great suggestion Erikc, have never heard of that before! Does that work for other meats to be defosted as well? How much salt and sugar? Just a dash or a bit more?

I like to make sure the water tastes salty and sweet, but not so much that it makes me gag. Too much is not a good thing as it can actually dry the bird out while cooking too. Also, feel free to play around by adding whole spices and bay leaves, but don't add anything acidic since it will start cooking the meat.

I have done this with turkey, and I also like to add red wine. This worked really well with buckets we used to get on the farm for animal feed: they were usually the perfect size to hold enough liquid to regulate the temperature but not require so much liquid that you wasted a bunch of wine. Best turkey ever!

As for other meats, I have done duck, pork and beef roasts, but never ham or anything else already flavored, as you can remove as much flavor as you add. If you like a pork picnic roast, this is the best way to do it. In fact I brine the meat even if it is not frozen, then I slow cook it for about 4 hours at 275 or so.