How to thaw ground beef quickly
Sometimes in the morning we forget to put out the hamburger to defrost. Then by 3 or 4pm you need your ground beef thawed fast.
So I thought I would ask some of my smart friends and family how they do it. Let me show you what they said. Then I’ll give my steps to defrost meat. You do what works for you.
How friends thaw ground beef fast.
“I set the meat in room temperature water for awhile. It works great. Of course in a ziplock bag!”
“ If I’m using ground beef I use the Microwave oven. If I’m using steak or some other protein I use the oven on a low temperature. Beef can seizes up but if you let it rest on the counter after it thaws for a few minutes it usually releases.”
“I just put it in my microwave on defrost cycle. Easy Peasy. I do not defrost anything but hamburger.”
“Put it in hot water in the sink. Change the water as it cools off as necessary.”
Warm water is popular way to defrost hamburger. But I find it is not fast enough for me most times.
My method of thawing ground beef quickly
3 minutes in microwave at 30% power, turn package over. Do this 3 times.
Then place on a cast iron skillet. In a bout an hour, it’s thawed. For a thinner package, I’d try skipping the microwave & put it on the skillet to see how long it takes to thaw out.
Make sure your skillet is dry from any moisture before putting away.
👉 One caveat is if your package of ground beef is thinner than mine, just do 2 times in
microwave then set on a cast iron skillet. You might have to do a test run to see how long to set the timer. The trick is to get it warm enough to thaw without cooking the edges.
Just browning ground beef?
Let’s say I’m simply making ground beef for a recipe. I skip the cast iron and go straight to browning after a couple of times at 30% in the microwave. Start the burner on low then go to medium heat when the hamburger is thawed.
With hamburger patties, I use the skillet method to thaw the ground beef quickly.
This has worked for me. I also do this for steaks that I forgot to thaw out earlier.
Do you have a different method? Let me know about it.