Oh No... I Forgot to Pull Something Out of the Freezer for Dinner

EVERYONE has a day when they forget to do something.  As a mom, I have plenty of days like this.  Apparently that was yesterday for me.  I opened the fridge this morning to check on the hamburger I thought I pulled out of them freezer last night only to realize I didn't do it.  Normally on days like this I say screw it, we are ordering take out tonight, but we went to Chuck E. Cheese last night, so I don't want to spend any more money.  Instead, I'm going to tackle my frozen meat dilemma.

I could just defrost it in the microwave, but I'm not a fan of doing that.  Half the time it never fully defrosts correctly.  You are either are left with sides that are fully defrosted, but its still frozen in the middle, or the outside ends up cooked and rubbery and the inside is perfectly defrosted.  It ends up taking up more time than you originally planned, plus it can be messy trying to scrape away defrosted meat one layer at a a time.  Instead, I'm going to use a cold water bath.

What's a cold water bath?  It's just what it sounds like.  You place your frozen food item into cold water and slowly defrost it that way.  Depending on the size of the item, it can take an hour or two.  The cold water helps to defrost your meat without the worry of partially cooking it.  Before you begin, make sure to thoroughly clena your sink and rinse it well.

Begin by filling your sink with cold water.  How deep you make the water depends on the size of the frozen item.  Leave your meat in its originally packaging.  If its packaged like my ground beef, place it foam board side up.  Foam floats, so placing it face down works best.  You can put a heavy bowl or something similar on top to fully submerge it.  If you are worried about water leaking into the container, you can always place it inside a gallon size baggie or wrap it a few times with clear wrap.
**Tip:  If you forget to take your Thanksgiving turkey out of the freezer to defrost early enough, you can place it in a cold water bath overnight, and it will be defrost by morning.

I've had some people ask about using hot water in place of cold water.  While hot water does seem to defrost faster, it is not safe to do this.  First, you can end up partially cooking the outside of your meat while the inside is frozen, which ruins the texture of the meat.  Second, and probably the most important reason, having your meat sit in hot or warm water increases the chances of food born illnesses.  This is also why it is not recommended to defrost your meat on the counter.  Food poisoning is never a good thing.  Babies/toddlers (those kids under the age of two), the elderly, and people with compromised and weakened immune systems are the most susceptible.   

Make sure to check back later.  I'll show you what I'm making with my ground beef.  :-)