{"id":670,"date":"2014-04-17T09:58:39","date_gmt":"2014-04-17T08:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=670"},"modified":"2024-05-10T13:02:18","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T12:02:18","slug":"defrost-food-safely","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/defrost-food-safely\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Defrost Food Safely"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Knowing how to defrost food properly is essential for ensuring you eat safe food and avoid illness.<\/p>\n<p>When you freeze food, the bacteria inside it becomes dormant from the cold temperature. Usually, this bacteria is destroyed when you cook the food properly. However, if you haven&#8217;t defrosted the food properly, the suggested cooking time may not be enough to destroy the bacteria. This means that, when you eat it, you&#8217;re at risk of food poisoning and other food-borne illnesses. <strong>Therefore, it&#8217;s important that you know how to safely defrost all types of food.<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Defrosting Ready-Cooked Foods<\/h2>\n<p>If you have previously cooked food in batches to reheat at a later date (such as bolognese, chilli con carne or pasta bake), make sure that it is fully defrosted before re-heating.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ensure the centre of the food is fully thawed and contains no ice crystals.<\/li>\n<li>It is recommended that you defrost ready-cooked foods in the fridge overnight or use the \u2018defrost\u2019 setting on a microwave.<\/li>\n<li>When freezing cooked food, freeze it in smaller portions to reduce the amount of time it will take to thaw.<\/li>\n<li>Defrost cooked foods separately from raw meat to reduce the risk of contamination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16268\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/defrosting-meal-KRAKEN.jpg\" alt=\"Defrosting Ready Meal In Microwave\" width=\"685\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Defrosting Poultry Safely<\/h2>\n<p>When defrosting poultry, such as chicken, turkey or duck, extra care must be taken. Here are our top tips for defrosting poultry:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Defrost the poultry away from other foods to prevent the other foods from becoming contaminated with any thawed liquid.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure that the meat is fully defrosted before cooking \u2013 the meat will be soft, flexible and free from ice crystals.<\/li>\n<li>Once you have thawed the poultry it must be cooked within 24 hours.<\/li>\n<li>Keep defrosted poultry refrigerated if you are not cooking it immediately to control the growth of harmful bacteria.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Defrosting Meat Safely<\/h2>\n<p>When thawing raw meat and poultry, ensure that it takes place in a separate area from other foods. This will prevent other foods from becoming contaminated with any harmful bacteria contained within the raw meat as it begins to defrost \u2013 for example, there could be a risk that liquids from the meat drip onto the other foods.<\/p>\n<p>How to defrost meat in water:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Place the frozen meat in a sealed bag or leave it in its original airtight packaging.<\/li>\n<li>Submerge the meat in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes to ensure it remains cold.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>1.5-2 kg of meat should fully defrost in approximately 2-3 hours.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16293\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/meat-defrosting-krak.jpg\" alt=\"Defrosting Meat in the Microwave\" width=\"685\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Defrosting Fish<\/h2>\n<p>Defrosting fish should be carried out in the fridge overnight as room temperature can encourage the growth of bacteria. Ensure the fish is wrapped and kept away from uncooked foods to avoid contamination.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>100g of fish will take approximately 1-2 hours to defrost.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid using a microwave to defrost fish as it can dry it out.<\/li>\n<li>Once defrosted, consume the fish within 48 hours.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>General Guidance for Thawing Food<\/h3>\n<p>Thawing frozen food safely is essential to ensure that the growth of harmful bacteria is controlled.\u00a0Thawing is best carried out at temperatures between 10\u00b0C and 15\u00b0C, such as a cool and shaded area of the kitchen or in the fridge.\u00a0Thawing can also be carried out by placing food under cold running water or in the microwave, although in this case make sure that the food defrosts evenly and does not begin to cook.<\/p>\n<p>Once thawed, food must be placed under refrigeration or cooked immediately to control the growth of bacteria.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16297\" src=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/defrosting-chicken-krak.jpg\" alt=\"defrosting chicken via thawing\" width=\"685\" height=\"295\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Things to Remember<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Thawing is best carried out at temperatures between 10\u00b0C and 15\u00b0C.<\/li>\n<li>Thawing can also be carried out by placing food under cold running water.<\/li>\n<li>Defrost ready-cooked foods in the fridge overnight where possible.<\/li>\n<li>When defrosting food in a microwave, check for uneven heating which can cause certain parts of the food to remain frozen whilst other parts are fully defrosted.<\/li>\n<li>Thaw fish in the fridge and not at room temperature to avoid bacteria growth.<\/li>\n<li>Keep raw and cooked foods separate when defrosting to avoid contamination.<\/li>\n<li>Never re-freeze defrosted food.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Further Resources:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/courses\/food-hygiene\/how-long-food-hygiene-certificate-last\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How Often Should I Renew My Food Hygiene and Safety Certificate?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/storing-food-in-the-freezer\/\">How to Store Food in the Freezer<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/level-3-food-hygiene-quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Level 3 Food Hygiene Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/fridge-shelves-storing-food\/\">Do You Know Which Fridge Shelves You Should Store Your Food On?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/how-to-defrost-a-freezer\/\">How to Defrost a Freezer<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/courses\/food-hygiene\/level2-food-hygiene-safety-catering\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety Course<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Follow these tips to ensure your food is always safe to eat when defrosting from the freezer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[700],"class_list":["post-670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-hygiene","tag-food-safety"],"acf":{"schema_disabled":false,"schema_properties_FAQPage_question_answer":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_tools":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_supplies":null,"schema_properties_HowTo_howto_steps":null,"schema_properties_WebPage_cssSelector":null,"schema_sameAs_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_repeater":null,"schema_custom_json_override":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.5 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