The fastest and best way to defrost meat
Which meat can you freeze, and which meat is better not to? And if you forgot to take the meat out of the freezer, can you still eat it that same evening? Erik Waagmeester is the owner, butcher and sausage maker at Slagerij De Wit in Amsterdam and offers advice.
Ideally, we would visit the butcher every day for a good piece of meat, but nobody has time for that, right? Thanks to our friend the freezer, we can extend the shelf life of meat a little, but what is the best way to go about it?
Freezing
”If you buy several pieces of meat from the butcher, it is useful to plan ahead,” says Waagmeester. ”It is a shame to store entrecôte or ribeye in the freezer; it is better to eat these straight away. Nothing gets better in the freezer, except ice lollies. Beef, chicken or sausages are fine to put in the freezer, as you often mix them into a dish anyway.”
Ready to eat it? Waagmeester recommends defrosting the meat slowly. ”Take the piece out of the freezer a day in advance, put it in the refrigerator and let it defrost slowly. By defrosting it slowly, the meat loses the least moisture. That way, you can use it the next day and it will simply taste good.”
As quickly as possible
Forgot to take the minced meat out? Waagmeester also knows a way to defrost meat as quickly as possible. ”Wrap the meat in plastic so that no water can get in, then place it in cold running water. Meat defrosts faster when you use cold water rather than warm water.” According to the Voedingscentrum, after filling your freezer, you have three months to eat your chicken, beef or sausage.
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