The idea of a winner-winner
chicken dinner can only be valid if your favorite meat is thawed well. Even
though it is pretty simple, there are many wrong hacks adopted by people, which
affect the freshness of the meat, taste of the dish, and even health. One of
the many advantages of chicken is that it is easy to store, frost and make it
last long for days together; it remains delectably fit to eat; however, thawing
it requires a little more effort. And since there is an upsurge in the
consumption of frozen chicken in the UAE, people need to know the proper
process to treat the meat. The ways of defrosting chicken may vary as per the
quantity and how much time you have before cooking it.
Still, one must not let it defrost
at room temperature, leaving it on the kitchen counter to thaw. Frozen
chicken suppliers in UAE often tell
how people thaw chicken wrong and how it detriments the quality of the meat and
becomes conducive for bacterias to grow, which can also lead to food poisoning.
To ensure that such damage does not happen, one must always store their chicken
in a sealed, spill-proof transparent wrap to avoid cross-contamination with
other food items in the fridge and defrost the chicken in this sealed packing
only. It is essential to adopt the proper thawing chicken to maintain its nutrients,
freshness, and suppleness. Does it seem hard? No worries, we tell you how your
all-time easy-to-cook, tasty to-eat meat can be thawed well, in a safe manner,
retaining all its characteristics and, more importantly, the taste.
(1) Fridge
method:-
The best way to defrost chicken is
by moving it from the de-refrigerator to the refrigerator hours before cooking
so that it thaws most naturally at the right temperature. However, this process
takes time, and the more the quantity of the chicken, the more time it will
take to defrost thoroughly. In addition, even some particular pieces of the
meat defrost faster than others; for example, chicken breast thaws faster than
a leg piece or whole chicken.
(2) Coldwater
method:-
Fill a bowl of size depending on
the quantity of the chicken with cold water and let your chicken defrost in
that. Remember to change the water every 30-40 minutes to ensure that the meat
is only in cold water. This method defrosts an average size chicken in three
hours.
(3) Microwave
method:-
This is the swiftest way to thaw
your chicken; however, it must only be done for boneless chicken. Place your
chicken in a microwave bowl and put your microwave in defrost mode for 2 mins,
then let it be for 1 minute before you poke it to check the status. Then,
continue defrosting it in the microwave similarly until it is thawed skin
deep.
The defrosting method depends on
the storage method; hence, keep the following things in mind to ensure that the
meat retains its freshness throughout its storage.
(4) Hot water
is a strict no-no:-
Do not give your chicken a hot
water bath to defrost it quickly; it only aggravates the deterioration rate of
the meat. Only use cold water.
(5) Avoid
refrigerating and defrosting the same meat frequently:-
Only defrost the amount of chicken
that you are sure you will be cooking in one go. Do not defrost the meat
through refrigeration and then again defrost it. Repeatedly defrosting and
refrigerating the same piece of meat alters its quality. Also, once your chicken
is thawed, do not refrigerate it again.
It is rightly said that the steps
involved before cooking are equally vital to cooking, and therefore applying
these tricks. The right adoptive practices sure shot will maintain the
freshness of your meat even if it is stored for days together. Happy
cooking!