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Best Ways to Thaw Ground Beef On Short Notice

Ground beef has become one of the most popular meat choices for dinner. But what could be worse than coming home after a long day, and realizing that you forgot to take the ground beef out of the freezer to thaw?

When it comes to thawing frozen ground beef, you’ve got three best choices. Remember that thawing keeps the bacteria levels low in ground beef.

Here are the best tips to safely thaw Ground Beef to make it easier to cook.

1. Thawing in Refrigerator

The easiest method to thaw ground beef is to refrigerate it but it is a time-consuming method so you’ll need to plan.

· Place it in a tray without removing its original packaging to prevent the ground beef juices from dripping

· Make sure the refrigerator temperature is set at 40 °F or below.

 It takes approximately 24 hours for each pound of frozen ground beef.

The defrosted ground beef can be kept for another couple of days in the fridge before cooking.

2. Thawing in Cold Water

You can defrost your frozen ground beef much faster in cold water as compared to a refrigerator. But as every coin has its flip side, and this process requires a bit of caution.

· For this process, the frozen ground beef should be in a leak-proof package or plastic bag.

· Dip the bag in cold tap water.

· Change the water frequently, to ensure that it stays cold enough.

· This method takes roughly about 60 minutes of defrosting time per pound of ground beef.

Using this method you’ll need to cook ground beef immediately. You can’t refreeze raw ground beef again. Though, you can refreeze it once you’ve cooked it.

3. Thawing in Microwave

This is the fastest way to defrost ground beef.

· Read the owner’s manual of your microwave carefully for the minutes per pound and the power level to use while thawing.

· Remove the packaging.

· Place on a microwave-safe dish to prevent any juices from dripping.

Defrost for three to four minutes, turn the meat halfway through. Microwave wattage varies, so you may need more or less time. After defrosting ground beef in the microwave, you’ll need to cook it immediately because some of the meat may have started to cook while defrosting.

Disclaimer:

Never thaw frozen ground beef in hot water or at room temperature. As under both methods, the outer layer of the ground beef can sit between the bacteria-breeding temperatures of 40°F and 140 °F which is not safe to eat.

“Liberty Cattle provides ground beef from award-winning American Blue cattle. Try the Liberty Cattle ground beef patties or pick up by the pound. No fillers, just beef. Always.”

https://www.libertycattlecompany.com/product-page/ground-beef