TO PREVENT AN ICKY MESS….
Long time meat eaters might already be aware of this, but I thought I’d forewarn any unsuspecting vegetarians considering a shift in diet.
When you defrost meat in the refrigerator, take a few seconds to double (or triple) bag the product, and/or set it inside a rimmed dish. Sometimes there is a pin-prick of an opening in the plastic, allowing the “liquid” (eww) to leak all over the refrigerator as it defrosts. This happened to me several times before I learned my lesson, and it’s an annoying/disgusting mess to clean up. Perhaps this is only a problem with local meat products from small, family farms. Big factories might have the means to package their items more securely – I don’t know – I don’t use them myself so have nothing to compare to.
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Other things to consider for those new to MEAT ETIQUETTE:
~ Never defrost meat on the counter at room temp. Best is in the fridge overnight.
~ If you’re defrosting a whole chicken, it will take about 3 days in the fridge (give or take), so plan accordingly.
~ If you’re in a hurry, you can place frozen meat completely submerged (in a sealed plastic bag) in a bowl of cold water on the counter (or in the fridge) for several hours. I don’t think this would work well for a whole chicken (don’t know – never tried). This method seems to work best for chop meat, steak, stew meat, cutlets, fish filets, shrimp…etc.
~ If you’re in a super hurry, use the above method (bowl of cold water) but leave it in the sink under gently running, cold water, and the product will defrost much faster (in as little as 20 minutes). Think of an ice-cube – it will defrost much faster under running water as compared to sitting at room temp. Of course this method is not ideal, as it wastes water, but hey, it works in a pinch & sometimes that’s as good as it gets =)
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I will update this page as I continue to figure stuff out!
Long time meat eaters: Please feel free to comment on this page with any info you can share – Thanks! =)
