When it comes to how you work with meat, you’ve probably picked up most of your skills from grandma or your mother. And since science wasn’t as advanced as it used to be back in the Good Old Days, few people understood the risks of letting your meat thaw out on the counter. It’s actually the wrong way to do it and there is a very important reason why.
What is it? It’s bacteria! When you defrost your frozen meat on the counter, you’re using the conventional methods taught for decades. But this is hardly safe. Now that scientists and researchers have uncovered the truth about defrosting meat on the counter, we’ve learned that you’re inviting more bacteria to grow on your cut of expensive sirloin steak.
And because bacteria love warm environments, they begin to multiply and grow and will possibly leave you with a dangerous bout of food poisoning. Instead of defrosting your meat on the counter, you need to learn this simple trick to use your microwave instead. It’s safer and will keep you and your family free from an unwanted bacterial infection or worse. Check this out now!
Besides being quick and easy, thawing your meat in the microwave is also better for your health, since it doesn’t encourage the growth of bacteria. This happens because the microwave forces the meat to quickly grow into what is called the “danger zone” where bacteria thrives. This range is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
When meat stays in that temperature range, bacterial populations double in as little as 20 minutes. If you had a bad batch of bacteria on your meat, twenty minutes later it’s twice as dangerous – and for children with weaker immune systems, it can be devastating.
If you’re completely against using the microwave, you’re probably thinking you can thaw your meat slowly in the fridge. Well, this depends. Just because it is cool, doesn’t mean it can protect you from the army of microorganisms consuming your meat products.
Defrosting meat in a cold fridge takes a long time. And depending on the temperature of your fridge, it might not stop the growth of bacteria.
Stop leaving your meat on the counter to thaw. It is not good. Also, freezing meat does not kill bacteria. It just puts their growth on pause.
Because you’re exposing the meat to room temperature, you’re giving the bacteria exactly what they want. Plus, you need to leave your meat on the counter for several hours. And since bacteria populations can double in just 20 minutes, that means in an hour one million microorganisms can grow into four million…
In the video below from USDA Food Safety, you’ll learn the government-recommend method for thawing steak and other meats.
Because meat thawed on the counter is exposed to bacteria, it is more dangerous. Instead, as you’ll learn in the clip below, use your microwave or anther method displayed in the video using water.
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