Re:The Wretched Table: How Dinner in America Became an Ordeal
by dingaling on Monday October 05, 2015 @03:48AM
(#10330394)
> when you want to have a meal, fill your kitchen sink full of hot water, maybe half-full, and throw one of those ziplock bags in.
Meat should only be thawed in a fridge or, in an eemergency, in a bath of cold water.
Plunging it into hot water is heaven for bacterial growth.
Re:The Wretched Table: How Dinner in America Became an Ordeal
by barry-cotter on Monday October 05, 2015 @04:18AM
(#10330468)
This is the sort of comment that makes me aware of how alien even very similar cultures can be. I'm Irish and I grew up there. I had never defrosted anything in a fridge before moving to Shanghai. It was all either countertop defrosting or hot water. I wouldn't defrost fish in hot water because it'll cook or let it defrost at room temperature for more than an hour which should be plenty for most fish. If room temperature where you live is above 20 or so degrees you probably shouldn't counter top defrost unless you can check it regularly to see if it's done and
Hot water isn't really that bad for bacterial growth. Lukewarm water is the enemy but even that's fine as long as you cook the meat within half an hour of taking it out of the fridge for defrosting. If you're taking longer z than half an hour that's a substantial cut off meat and you really should be able to plan a day ahead.
Re:The Wretched Table: How Dinner in America Became an Ordeal
by dragonwriter on Tuesday October 06, 2015 @04:54PM
(#10342308)
> Meat should only be thawed in a fridge or, in an eemergency, in a bath of cold water.
> Plunging it into hot water is heaven for bacterial growth.
Only true for large roasts; for steaks and similar portions, hot water thawing is safe and convenient:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/08/dining/a-hot-water-bath-fo...
Re:The Wretched Table: How Dinner in America Became an Ordeal
by moron4hire on Monday October 05, 2015 @07:48AM
(#10331154)
Fear mongering. You're cooking the damn meat in a few minutes.
Then, when you want to have a meal, fill your kitchen sink full of hot water, maybe half-full, and throw one of those ziplock bags in. In 15 to 30 minutes, the meat will be completely thawed and you can cook whatever you want.
Given the right recipe, you might even be able to work the thaw time into the vegetable prep time.
EDIT: There are three other options for defrosting meat: in fridge, on the counter, and in the microwave, in order of speed from slowest to fastest. In the fridge takes extreme pre-knowledge: you practically have to do it the night before, and I am too fussy of an eater to know what I will want to eat a day ahead of time. On the counter is same-day, but has to be done in the morning, plus some people might be squeamish about leaving meat out at room temperature for several hours. Using the microwave takes 15 to 30 minutes, but is imperfect and often ends up cooking the meat to a certain degree. In short, the waterbath method is the most convenient defrosting method.