How to thaw raw meat quickly?

[susan8020]

Thawing slowly in the fridge or cold water doesn't work in our chaotic schedule. We need to thaw it quickly for immediate use. Microwave or hot water have obvious problems. Any workarounds, or other approaches?

Comments

[twistedchick]

A lot depends on the thickness of the cut or piece of meat; the thinner, the easier to thaw.

I have found that something up to 3/4 inch will thaw within an hour inside a plastic bag if it's in a shallowish dish (not a deep pot) of water that is tepid, and if it's turned over and the water changed every 15 minutes. As it thaws, it cools the water, so replacing (or adding more) tepid water makes a difference. If I just drop the bag into a pot of water and go away without doing this, it takes a lot longer.

I do this a lot with fish, for example, and then cook it in a covered dish in the microwave (with lime or paprika or mushrooms or whatever) for about 6 minutes. If there is any ice still left in it, that part will explode a little (hence the cover) but it will all still taste very good. It can also be pan-fried after thawing, which works well without the explosions, generally.