TL;DR
- Thawing your hen within the fridge is essentially the most hands-off methodology and yields the perfect outcomes; it’s also the slowest, requiring roughly sooner or later to totally defrost most flat-packed cuts. Defrosting hen in a bowl of cool water gives the perfect mixture of pace and meat high quality, although it does take roughly an hour for many cuts which have been frozen flat-packed. The microwave is the quickest method to defrost hen, however we don’t advocate it, because it partially cooks the hen and leads to robust, dry meat.
Seek for simple, weeknight-friendly recipes, and also you’re certain to return throughout many that includes hen. It’s no shock that 75 p.c of Individuals eat such a straightforward, versatile protein at the very least as soon as per week. Many house cooks preserve it stashed away within the freezer for comfort, able to thaw for his or her subsequent minimal-effort meal.
Whereas freezing hen is handy, defrosting it’s not—particularly in case you overlook to take it out of your freezer in time. The web is affected by shortcuts for thawing hen rapidly, however do they actually work as quick and in addition to they declare to? Can the defrosting methodology you select affect how your hen cooks? And, extra importantly, is it secure? Armed with greater than 55 kilos of hen—together with hen breasts, thighs, drumsticks, wings, and floor hen—I made a decision to search out out.
Why It is Essential to Defrost Rooster Appropriately
You’ve two hours till dinner and also you’ve forgotten to defrost your hen. You place a bundle of frozen hen thighs in a bowl of sizzling water within the hopes that the warmth will thaw the poultry rapidly. No large deal, proper?
Whereas this may increasingly really feel like an appropriate method to defrost hen, you’re setting your self up for a severe case of meals poisoning by letting your poultry sit within the temperature hazard zone, which ranges from 40 to 140ºF (4.5 to 60ºC). Based on Meredith Carothers, a meals security specialist with america Division of Agriculture (USDA), that is the temperature that dangerous micro organism like salmonella, e. Coli, or campylobacter can multiply and “attain harmful ranges,” which may improve the danger of meals poisoning. “Relying on the kind of micro organism,” she says, “it will possibly create a toxin that’s warmth resistant.”
To stop foodborne sicknesses, the USDA has strict tips on the right way to safely thaw hen. Although there are numerous methods of defrosting poultry, there are solely three strategies the group recommends: thawing hen within the fridge, within the microwave, or in a bowl of chilly faucet water with a temperature of 55 to 65ºF (13 to 18ºC).
How We Examined
To find out the easiest way to defrost hen, I examined the USDA’s three advisable strategies, together with two different widespread, even when objectionable, ones: permitting the hen to take a seat underneath cool working water and at room temperature.
Severe Eats / Christie Rotondo
Curious to see if the easiest way to thaw hen would depend upon the minimize, and to assemble timing information for a number of the most typical items of hen, I examined completely different components: bone-in and boneless breasts, bone-in and boneless thighs, drumsticks, wings, and floor hen. To make sure consistency in my testing, all meat was frozen as flat as doable in a quart-size zip-top bag. I weighed every minimize and portioned them into particular person packages that had been all an analogous form and dimension, as how meat is frozen can affect how lengthy it takes to defrost.
These packages consisted of:
- Two drumsticks, weighing half a pound in whole
- 5 wings, weighing half a pound in whole
- One pound of floor hen
- One pound of boneless hen breasts
- One pound of bone-in, skin-on breasts
- Two boneless thighs, weighing about half a pound in whole
- A family-size, two-pound bundle of bone-in thighs
As every minimize defrosted, I recorded how lengthy every methodology took, how hands-off it was, and if the temperature of the hen ever reached the hazard zone, which I examined with an instant-read meat thermometer. If the hen did hit a temperature in that vary, I famous how lengthy it spent throughout the hazard zone earlier than the remainder of the minimize was fully thawed. I then cooked all of the hen to see whether or not every methodology impacted style and texture.
Severe Eats / Christie Rotondo
For the cooking itself, I rubbed drumsticks, wings, boneless breasts, and boneless thighs with salt and olive oil, then baked it on a rimmed baking sheet at 425°F (220ºC). I browned floor hen in a nonstick pan on the range. As for the skin-on, bone-in breasts and thighs, I first crisped them in a cast-iron skillet with butter, then baked them within the oven. My outcomes beneath will hopefully provide help to decide the perfect methodology to defrost your hen within the time you have got—or in case you’re higher off ordering pizza for dinner.
The Most Widespread Strategies for Thawing Rooster: Examined
Fridge
Methodology
To thaw hen within the fridge, I eliminated it from the freezer, positioned the sealed bundle in a container or on a rimmed baking sheet to gather any leaking juices that might cross-contaminate different meals, then refrigerated it till thawed. This took about 24 hours on common, although how lengthy it should take will depend upon the dimensions of the minimize you’re defrosting.
Severe Eats / Christie Rotondo
How Protected Is It?
Meals security organizations, together with the USDA, Canadian Ministry of Well being, and European Meals Security Authority usually agree that defrosting poultry within the fridge is the most secure. Carothers explains {that a} fridge calibrated to take care of a temperature beneath 40ºF (4ºC) ensures that your hen won’t ever enter the hazard zone, minimizing danger of any food-borne pathogens and making it the most secure method to defrost hen.
The Outcomes
This methodology took the longest. As you’ll see within the chart beneath, the hen took between 19 and 30 hours to totally defrost, relying on the dimensions and dimensions of the minimize.
| Reduce of Meat | Defrosting Time |
| Drumsticks (2 items; 1/2 pound) | 25 hours |
| Wings (5 items; 1/2 pound) | 19 hours |
| Floor Rooster (1 pound) | 23 hours |
| Boneless Breasts (2 items; 1 pound) | 30 hours |
| Bone-In, Pores and skin-On Breast (1 piece; 1 pound) | 25 hours |
| Boneless Thighs (2 items; 1/2 pound) | 21 hours |
| Bone-In, Pores and skin-On Thighs (6 items; 2 kilos) | A little bit underneath 24 hours |
Microwave
Methodology
To defrost hen within the microwave, I eliminated the hen from its packaging and positioned it on a microwave-safe plate. In case your microwave has a “defrost” setting, the USDA recommends utilizing that to thaw hen. (Some microwaves can also have completely different defrost settings for poultry, meat, fish, or bread. Select “poultry” when thawing hen.) In case your microwave doesn’t have a defrost setting, the USDA recommends defrosting the hen at 30% energy.
Whereas defrosting, you’ll need to keep watch over the hen, as skinny edges will probably start to cook dinner because the meat defrosts. Use tongs to flip the hen periodically, about each two minutes or so, to assist it defrost evenly. For floor hen, the USDA even recommends utilizing a spoon or offset spatula to scrape off bits of thawed hen onto a separate plate. This prevents the hen from cooking whereas additionally permitting the rest of the meat to thaw extra simply.
Severe Eats / Christie Rotondo
I used my microwave’s “poultry” defrosting setting, which recommends the period of time to defrost the hen based mostly on the burden you enter. Based on the producer, my microwave varies between 20 to 30% energy in the course of the defrosting course of to make sure even thawing. Regardless of this setting, the sides of my hen had been totally defrosted and starting to cook dinner earlier than the middle even had an opportunity to thaw.
It is necessary to notice that how lengthy it takes to thaw hen within the microwave will in the end rely in your microwave’s wattage. To exhibit this, I examined defrosting boneless hen breasts with each my higher-wattage microwave and a lower-wattage one to match the outcomes, and it took about 3 times as lengthy to thaw them in a lower-wattage microwave (see particulars within the chart beneath).
How Protected Is It?
The USDA considers microwave-thawing one of many most secure methods to defrost hen. You’ll should cook dinner the hen instantly after defrosting, nevertheless, because the outer edges of the hen will start to warmth up because it defrosts, bringing it into the hazard zone. Throughout testing, components of the hen regularly reached upward of 80ºF (26ºC)—properly above the advisable limits, however nonetheless removed from the USDA’s advisable temperature for hen of 165ºF (74ºC). Carothers, nevertheless, says this isn’t harmful in case you plan on cooking it instantly. “The time that [the chicken] is spending within the hazard zone just isn’t really lengthy sufficient for micro organism to succeed in a harmful degree,” she says.
The Outcomes
The microwave was by far the quickest defrosting methodology. The smallest cuts, just like the hen wings, took as little as 5 minutes to defrost, whereas bigger cuts took about 25 minutes. You’ll should sacrifice style for pace, although: Every microwave-thawed minimize was considerably drier than hen defrosted utilizing different strategies, as you’re blasting the poultry with warmth to thaw it.
| Reduce of Meat | Defrosting Time in 1200W Microwave |
| Drumsticks (2 items; 1/2 pound) | 2 drumsticks took 7 minutes and 30 seconds to defrost, however the thawing was uneven. The thickest a part of the drumstick measured 35ºF (1.6ºC) after they had been thawed, whereas thinner components close to the bone had been 135ºF (57ºC), sizzling sufficient to burn me. |
| Wings (5 items; 1/2 pound) | 5 minutes |
| Floor Rooster (1 pound) | 11 minutes |
| Boneless Breasts (2 items; 1 pound) | 10 minutes and 45 seconds in a 1200W microwave however took 35 minutes in a 900W microwave. |
| Bone-In, Pores and skin-On Breasts (1 piece; 1 pound) | 8 minutes |
| Boneless Thighs (2 items; 1/2 pound) | 6 minutes |
| Bone-In, Pores and skin-On Thighs (6 items; 2 kilos) | 25 minutes |
Chilly Water
Methodology
To defrost hen utilizing the chilly water methodology, I positioned frozen packaged hen in a bowl of chilly faucet water. Based on the USDA, this methodology is ok so long as your faucet releases water within the 55 to 65ºF (12.7 to 18.3ºC) vary. I let the frozen hen sit till totally thawed, and altered the water each half-hour to make sure it remained in that temperature vary. To keep away from bloating within the water, I saved all of the hen in its plastic packaging.
How Protected Is It?
This methodology, together with the microwave, are the one two speedy defrosting strategies the USDA considers secure. Although this methodology takes for much longer than the microwave (the wings took a mere 5 minutes within the microwave, whereas the identical dimension bundle of wings took an hour and 5 minutes utilizing the chilly water methodology), the USDA nonetheless considers it “speedy.”
Severe Eats / Christie Rotondo
Relying on the dimensions of the minimize you’re defrosting, it could take greater than an hour for the poultry to totally thaw. The hotter the water, the sooner the thawing. To cut back the danger of meals sitting within the hazard zone, nevertheless, the USDA solely recommends utilizing chilly water, and advises towards thawing meals in heat or sizzling water, as meals shouldn’t be not noted for greater than an hour if the temperature is above 90ºF (32ºC). The USDA additionally advises cooking poultry instantly after defrosting in chilly water, because the floor temperature of the hen might method the hazard zone whereas it’s submerged.
Carothers recommends altering the water each half-hour to make sure that the hen continues to defrost steadily whereas avoiding losing water by having it run repeatedly. The water will get colder because the frozen hen sits in it and, after half-hour, will develop into chilly sufficient to hinder thawing. I discovered this true in my testing: Water would come out of my faucet at round 65ºF (18ºC), and because the hen thawed, the water cooled to about 48 to 50ºF (8.8 to 10ºC).
The Outcomes
Whereas not as quick because the microwave, hen defrosted comparatively rapidly with the chilly water methodology: All cuts had been defrosted in 45 minutes to 2 hours. This methodology was additionally comparatively hands-off and didn’t considerably compromise the feel of the minimize.
| Reduce of Meat | Defrosting Time |
| Drumsticks (2 items; 1/2 pound) | 45 minutes. The smaller drumstick defrosted in simply 25 minutes and sat within the hazard zone at 55ºF (13ºC) for 20 minutes. |
| Wings (5 items; 1/2 pound) | 1 hour and 5 minutes. Smaller wings defrosted sooner than the bigger ones, and I put them within the fridge so smaller wings that defrosted sooner wouldn’t proceed to take a seat within the hazard zone. |
| Floor Rooster (1 pound) | 1 hour and quarter-hour. There was a 10ºF (12.2ºC) distinction between the middle of the meat and the sides. |
| Boneless Breasts (2 items; 1 pound) | 1 hour |
| Bone-In, Pores and skin-On Breasts (1 piece; 1 pound) | 1 hour |
| Boneless Thighs (2 items; 1/2 pound) | 1 hour and 9 minutes. Water started coming into the bag; I positioned the thighs into a brand new zip-top bag to keep away from waterlogged meat. |
| Bone-In, Pores and skin-On Thighs (6; 2 kilos) | A 2-pound bundle of bone-in thighs took lower than 2 hours to defrost. |
Working Water
Methodology
To hurry up thawing in chilly water, many cooks will place their frozen meat underneath working water. To see if this was the case, I positioned a bowl with frozen packaged hen underneath chilly working water from my faucet and let it sit till totally thawed. Relying on the dimensions of your hen, this could take anyplace from 20 minutes to over an hour. Whereas the USDA doesn’t discourage this speedy defrosting methodology, there have been some severe drawbacks.
Severe Eats / Christie Rotondo
First: It’s an unbelievable waste of water. (A faucet that leaks at only one drip per second releases greater than 3,000 gallons of water a 12 months.) Plus, even with the poultry in a plastic bag, this methodology results in water that’s probably contaminated splattering throughout your sink and counter. This methodology was additionally loud: at 78 decibels, the quantity of this methodology is about the identical as a working vacuum. Lastly, this methodology was not considerably sooner than defrosting packaged hen in a bowl of chilly water, and likewise had way more uneven outcomes. That is probably as a result of the tap is targeted on only one space of the hen, inflicting that one space of the hen to thaw a lot sooner than the remainder of it.
Let Sit at Room Temperature
Methodology
After taking the hen out of the freezer, I positioned it on a rimmed baking sheet and let it thaw on my kitchen counter. Defrosting instances will differ relying on the temperature of your area. I used an instant-read thermometer to test on the floor temperature each 10 minutes, and moved the hen into the fridge when its temperature reached above 40℉ (4.4ºC) and had been out of the fridge for 2 hours.
How Protected Is It?
The USDA tells shoppers to keep away from this methodology, as leaving hen at room temperature for lengthy durations of time places meals most in danger for bacterial development, making this essentially the most hazardous defrosting methodology. It’s particularly harmful if individuals deal with it as a hands-off methodology; some house cooks might overlook they’re defrosting hen and cook dinner the meat after it’s been at room temperature or sitting throughout the temperature hazard zone for a number of hours. Although you received’t get sick each time you do one thing dangerous like this, Carothers says it may be particularly harmful for at-risk populations like kids, pregnant individuals, and the aged.
The Outcomes
My house was at 74ºF (23ºC), and my cuts had been all defrosted in two to 4 hours, then promptly cooked. I additionally took the temperature of the floor space at a number of intervals, and whereas some cuts did attain the hazard zone, they weren’t sitting at this temperature for very lengthy. (Based on the USDA, chilly meals shouldn’t be not noted of refrigeration for longer than two hours if the room is beneath 90ºF or 32ºC. If it’s above that temperature, it shouldn’t be not noted of refrigeration for greater than an hour.) To ensure that micro organism to multiply, each circumstances (time and temperature) should be met, Carothers explains.
With that mentioned, most house cooks usually tend to take cuts out of the freezer and go away them on the counter for for much longer with out intently monitoring the temperature of their poultry, growing the danger of meals poisoning. Except you propose on holding an in depth eye on the thawing course of by commonly checking the meat’s temperature, it’s greatest to make use of one of many USDA’s advisable thawing strategies as an alternative.
| Reduce of Meat | Defrosting Time |
| Drumsticks (2 items; 1/2 pound) | Simply over 3 hours |
| Wings (5 items; 1/2 pound) | 2 hours and 10 minutes |
| Floor Rooster (1 pound) | 4 hours and half-hour to hit 31.4ºF (-0.5ºC) within the middle and 43.5ºF (6.3ªC) across the edges. I moved it into the fridge to keep away from leaving the hen within the temperature hazard zone and it took one other 2 hours to thaw within the fridge. |
| Boneless Breasts (2 items; 1 pound) | A 1-pound bundle of boneless breasts took 3 hours and 18 minutes. |
| Bone-In, Pores and skin-On Breasts (1 piece; 1 pound) | Simply over 4 hours |
| Boneless Thighs (2 items; 1/2 pound) | About 2 hours |
| Bone-In, Pores and skin-On Thighs (6 items; 2 kilos) | A 2-pound bundle of bone-in thighs took about 4 hours and quarter-hour to defrost. |
What Is the Quickest Solution to Defrost Rooster?
No matter minimize or dimension, the microwave was unmatched in its potential to defrost meals rapidly. Within the microwave, two kilos of bone-in hen thighs totally defrosted in 23 minutes, whereas floor hen took simply 11 minutes to thaw, and the wings took a mere 5 minutes to defrost.
That pace definitely comes at a value, although. As a result of the microwave kicks off the cooking course of, the meat is usually dried out, generally virtually to the purpose of being inedible. This was much less noticeable in fatter, juicier cuts like bone-in thighs.
Which Methodology Produced the Finest Outcomes Total?
Whereas defrosting within the fridge typically took a considerable period of time—generally greater than 24 hours for bigger cuts—the cooked outcomes had been the perfect, no matter minimize.
How Ought to You Thaw a Entire Rooster
Based on the USDA, a complete hen might take one to 2 days to thaw. The Rooster Farmers of Canada, the group liable for managing hen manufacturing in Canada, estimates that it takes about 5 hours to thaw every pound of hen within the fridge. A four-pound hen will take about 20 hours to thaw within the fridge; if you already know if you plan on cooking your hen, thaw it at the very least sooner or later earlier than you propose to cook dinner it. In case you’d like to provide your hen a day to dry brine earlier than cooking, thaw it two days earlier than you propose on brining and cooking it.
