How to properly freeze meatballs for a child?
To prevent the meatballs from sticking together in the freezer, they are first frozen on a cutting board covered with cellophane. After freezing, the meat balls are poured into a sealed bag or container. You can use ice cube trays to freeze minced meat.
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Quick defrosting methods
Everyone knows that in order to preserve all the beneficial substances in foods, you need to freeze them quickly and defrost them gradually and slowly. According to the rules, they should thaw in the refrigerator at a temperature of +1–5 degrees. Such conditions make it possible to fully preserve not only useful elements, but also taste. And in the refrigerator compartment, food is defrosted evenly throughout its entire depth and does not spoil for a long time. The only negative is that you have to wait a very long time.
To somehow speed up the thawing process, housewives use various quick methods of defrosting food.
At room temperature
It's no secret that ice melts faster in a warm environment. On average, the defrosting speed increases 3 times. But the warmer the room, the faster microbes multiply in food.
Defrosting speed
5
Safety
5
Preservation of taste qualities
6
In cold water
To quickly defrost, it is recommended to place the product in a moisture-proof bag and place it under running water for 10 minutes. Then you need to place it in a large bowl filled with ice-cold liquid. With this method, a piece of meat weighing 1 kg will thaw in 1.5–2 hours (in the refrigerator the process will take 8–10 hours), and the cold will prevent the food from spoiling quickly.
Defrosting speed
6
Safety
7
Preservation of taste qualities
7
In hot water
By dipping the product into hot water, many hope to get an almost instant result. But the product thaws quickly only on the outside. Moreover, already at 40 degrees the cooking process begins. The product is cooked around the perimeter, but the core remains raw and icy.
Defrosting speed
7
Safety
4
Preservation of taste qualities
4
In the microwave
In the “Auto Defrost” mode, food thaws as quickly as possible. For example, frozen minced meat weighing 400 g becomes pliable and soft after just 6–8 minutes. The most important thing is that the food is defrosted relatively evenly and does not have time to spoil in such a short time. The downside is that it sometimes bakes at the edges.
Defrosting speed
10
Safety
9
Preservation of taste qualities
7
In the oven
Modern ovens also have a defrost function. The product thaws in about 10 minutes. You can create it artificially by setting the temperature to 30 degrees and turning on convection. At high temperatures, defrosting food is not recommended for the same reasons as in hot water.
Defrosting speed
9
Safety
8
Preservation of taste qualities
7
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In a slow cooker
Can I use a slow cooker for defrosting? Yes. To do this, place the product on the grill and turn on the steam mode. The lid should be kept open and the meat (fish, poultry) should be turned over periodically. Steam additionally saturates the product with moisture, thereby protecting it from weathering and drying out.
Defrosting speed
8
Safety
6
Preservation of taste qualities
6
On a special defrosting mat
For quick defrosting, special aluminum plates with grooves are produced (Defrost Express and others costing from 500 rubles). Aluminum is an effective heat conductor, and therefore significantly speeds up the thawing process. A chicken fillet weighing 0.5 kg will thaw on a mat in about 45 minutes (or just in a plate - in 2-3 hours).
Defrosting speed
8
Safety
7
Preservation of taste qualities
7
Preparation and ingredients
So, how to cook cutlets in the microwave? First, we need to decide on the dish that we will serve on the table today. But as we said a little earlier, we will cook cutlets in the microwave, the recipe for which we will discuss below. It is unusual, so our cutlets should turn out quite tasty. Let's get started.
First, let's decide on the ingredients and their quantity. The mass of ingredients that we will need will be designed for 2 people.
Defrosting minced meat in the refrigerator
Defrosting in the refrigerator is considered the safest. The temperature regime not only does not disturb the structure of the meat, but also preserves the nutritional values in it. You should proceed step by step:
- put the frozen food in a deep bowl, having first removed it from the bag or packaging, in this case, when thawing, the juice will not leak onto the shelf, there is no need to cover the container with a lid;
- place the semi-finished product in the refrigerator; if the dish will not be prepared on this day, then it is better to move the freezer as close to the wall as possible, it is coldest there;
- if you plan to cook in the near future, then you should periodically remove the product and divide it into pieces if possible, this will significantly speed up defrosting.
It is easy to determine the readiness of the product; after pressing with your finger, a dent should remain. Even a large piece itself can easily break.
Cooking dinner
Now there are semi-finished products in the refrigerator, and therefore this process becomes much faster. Yes, and more convenient. Sometimes you can hear the opinion that after defrosting food becomes carcinogenic. But science has not yet found any evidence of this. The only point: if the minced meat already contains onions, then after defrosting gourmets may feel a slight change in its smell. But most people don't feel any difference. Moreover, you can pre-fry the onion and only then add it to the minced meat. Then you will not feel any foreign smell.
By the way, it is not necessary to defrost them at all. Just put it in a frying pan and simmer in tomato sauce. Another option is to steam it. Then all you need to do is place them in the steamer grid and turn on the program. If you want to get a golden brown crust, heat the frying pan well, pour a little oil and place the cutlets directly from the freezer. Close the lid and reduce the heat to low. First the crust will set, and then further cooking will take place.
How long to defrost minced meat: in the refrigerator, in water, in the microwave, in the oven
The thawing time of a meat product directly depends on the total mass of the piece, as well as its shape. That is, the more the frozen food weighs, the longer it will take to defrost. The approximate defrosting time in the refrigerator is:
- small, thin pieces of pork and beef will take about 12 hours;
- a kilogram briquette will be ready for cooking in 24 hours;
- a piece weighing a total of two kilograms requires at least 48 hours.
We recommend reading —>>> Fry store-bought cutlets correctly
Things will go a little faster if you put the minced meat in water, and for safety they put it in two plastic bags at once. In this case, you can start cooking after five hours. But as it thaws, you should cut the piece into smaller portions to reduce the duration of thawing.
The microwave is the fastest way to defrost semi-finished products. Usually the whole process takes no more than twenty minutes, provided that the piece is large. It takes a little longer for the product to thaw in the oven; on average, it takes a little more than 40 minutes. If you remove the thawed top layers during the process, this will significantly reduce the duration of the heat treatment.
If there are any fried cutlets left
It also happens. Imagine that you fried a whole dish, and then your husband called and invited you to the restaurant. And tomorrow you are going to a corporate party together and you definitely won’t have dinner at home. No problem, you just need to remember how to freeze ready-made cutlets. To do this, place them on a towel to absorb excess fat and cool completely. After this, you can put it in the refrigerator for several hours. Then the structure of the minced meat will become denser and it will be easier to pack them.
And now just a few words about how to freeze ready-made cutlets at home. If you plan to store them in the freezer in advance, then it is better not to fry until cooked, but only to create a golden brown crust on the surface. Then you can stew them in the sauce.
You can use any of the methods listed above. Only silicone muffin tins are not suitable for freezing finished cutlets. If the freezer is empty, simply lay out a plastic bag and lay them out in an even layer. Or use special freezer bags. After this, collect and place in plastic containers. Be sure to sign the date of manufacture, as well as how they were prepared. If the cutlets are fried and ready to eat, then you just need to heat them in the microwave.
Do I need to defrost the nuggets before frying them?
How long to fry chicken nuggets Do not defrost chicken nuggets when frying. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, pour oil into it, add nuggets and fry for 5 minutes over medium heat. Then turn the nuggets over and fry for another 5 minutes.
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No microwave
If you don’t have a microwave oven, you can use other methods, one of them is a water bath. Fast but unsafe technology that requires constant attention and monitoring.
Instructions for defrosting the product are as follows:
- fill the saucepan with water, the total volume of liquid should be slightly less than half the container;
- remove the frozen semi-finished product from the package and place it in a metal or ceramic bowl of a suitable size;
- Next, the container is placed in its saucepan;
- the stove is turned on, the fire is set to minimum;
- During the process, the heating sides are changed to prevent scalding.
To speed up thawing, you should periodically cut off layers that have become soft due to the high temperature. The total time for complete defrosting is on average about 20 minutes.
To be or not to be
The question of whether it is possible to freeze ready-made cutlets arises among housewives quite often. This is a dream. We come home from work, put it on a plate, pour it with tomato sauce - and that’s it, you can serve it. But vague doubts still remain. Will the product lose its qualities during defrosting? How long can it be stored? Experienced chefs and cooks answer positively the question of whether it is possible to freeze ready-made cutlets. This is a great time and effort saver, as well as a way to save food.
