Food de-frost question.

[Dave7]

I made some chicken curry and put 2 portions in the freezer (so its cooked, not raw).
Last night I took 1 portion/container out with the idea of having it for lunch today.
I left it in the fridge but have just checked (0630) and it is still frozen.
So.........
Can I leave it in the kitchen to give it a start or is that dangerous??

 

[ianrauk]

Yes you can leave it out.

 

[T4tomo]

Yes absolutely fine. The key thing is to make sure it's piping hot when reheated.

 

[Dave7]

It seems almost sacrilegious but MrsD had set way ie defrosting and I happily went along with them. Now I am on my own I am (bravely??) looking into some of her long held thoughts.
Hence some really basic questions from me.

 

[tom73]

Yes leave it out once it's defrosted if you not ready to use it put it back in the fridge.
As said up thread key thing is make sure it's reheated all the way though.

 

[Mike_P]

To fridge defrost frozen dinners I always take out of the freezer around a day before I want to eat it and even then the likes of shepherd pie etc may need a quick defrost blast in the microwave.

 

[figbat]

To speed defrosting you can put it on a metal baking sheet; this acts as a heat exchanger.

 

[vickster]

To speed defrosting you can put it on a metal baking sheet; this acts as a heat exchanger.

Just not in the Microwave

 

[fossyant]

I take 'left overs' into work frozen, as they wouldn't survive the journey if chilled (contents all over the panniers). They are often part frozen at lunch, so they just get microblasted till piping hot.

 

[wiggydiggy]

I made some chicken curry and put 2 portions in the freezer (so its cooked, not raw).
Last night I took 1 portion/container out with the idea of having it for lunch today.
I left it in the fridge but have just checked (0630) and it is still frozen.
So.........
Can I leave it in the kitchen to give it a start or is that dangerous??

Apparently before you put cooked food in the freezer you should leave it to cool completely, if you didn't know. I cook in batches and freeze 90% of what I make to take out later and reheat.

 

[potsy]

I take them out of the freezer some time in the evening and put in the fridge, they will then be fully defrosted for tomorrow's evening meal.
Takes a bit of forward planning.

I've never been sure about microwaving from frozen, then again it's what you do with bought frozen ready meals so maybe it's OK?

 

[wiggydiggy]

I take them out of the freezer some time in the evening and put in the fridge, they will then be fully defrosted for tomorrow's evening meal.
Takes a bit of forward planning.

I've never been sure about microwaving from frozen, then again it's what you do with bought frozen ready meals so maybe it's OK?

I've microwaved none ready meals from frozen, start on a low setting to defrost it and nuke it after

 

[fossyant]

I always make too much spag bol, so end up freezing about 4 meals. Makes everyone in the office jealous !

 

[Electric_Andy]

There are some key principles about defrosting meat/food. Firstly if you have time then it's better to defrost in the fridge. Of course it's a slower process, but means that it will never go below 3 or 4 degrees (or whatever your fridge is at). If left to defrost in the kitchen, there is a risk that it will thaw and then come up to room temperature by the time you eat it, which is where bacteria can multiply the fastest.

Secondly, defrosting is all about air flow. You can get special slotted trays to do this on, but a rack will do just as well. If the air can circulate around the entire bulk of food, it will defrost faster. If you just leave it in a clump then it'll take longer to thaw in the middle, whilst the outside will be getting warm and in the danger zone. Even slower if the item is sealed in a bag, but that also protects it from surface bacteria.

Thirdly, as others have mentioned make sure food is piping hot before eating (as stated on lots of chilled and frozen foods).

 

[gbb]

One thing that always comes up in food safety training is taking care with rice. Failure to make sure its not left out too long before refrigerating or freezing can leave it prone to a specific bacteria that's resistant to the heat that kills 'normal' bacteria. Can't remember the specific bacteria but it's one that comes up in every block of training .