If you make a mistake, it will be ruined! How to defrost beef to keep it delicious

How do you usually defrost beef? If you defrost it incorrectly, all that delicious beef will go to waste. So, this time we'll tell you how to defrost beef to maximize its flavor, so be sure to check it out!

The key to thawing beef is to minimize dripping!

This is not limited to beef, but the key to properly thawing frozen meat or fish is to thaw it slowly at as low a temperature as possible.

When food is frozen, the water contained within each cell freezes. When making ice in an ice maker, have you ever noticed that the ice appears to expand more than when it was water? Water expands in volume when frozen, so the appearance of ice expanding is not an illusion. This same phenomenon occurs in each cell of meat, so if meat is suddenly thawed in a high-temperature location, the melted meat cells are damaged by the hard ice, causing the cells to break down and resulting in a large amount of liquid known as "drip" leaking out of the meat.

Drips contain not only the moisture of the meat, but also its flavor and nutrients, so if there is too much dripping, the meat will become dry and lose its flavor. Cells naturally have the ability to reabsorb moisture, so if you thaw meat slowly at a low temperature without damaging the cells, you can minimize the loss of dripping!

The easiest way to defrost is to put it in the refrigerator.

Defrosting it so as to minimize dripping is not difficult at all. Simply put it in the refrigerator and it can be defrosted easily.

The refrigerator temperature varies depending on the manufacturer, but it is between 2 and 6 degrees, which is low enough. By the way, the temperature in the vegetable compartment is around 5 to 8 degrees, so it is not unsuitable for thawing. However, the temperature is slightly higher, so the amount of dripping will increase.

Also, even in a refrigerator, the temperature often differs between the top and bottom shelves. For this reason, try to defrost meat in a place with as low a temperature as possible. If your refrigerator has a freezer on top, the temperature will be lower at the top, and if it's on the bottom, the temperature will be lower at the bottom. If your refrigerator has a chilled room, the chilled room's temperature range is around 0°C, so using the chilled room will allow for better quality defrosting.

When thawing meat, the bag or container it comes in may have been damaged during transport. If frozen meat with a damaged exterior is placed directly in the refrigerator to thaw, the drippings may leak out and spill inside the refrigerator, making cleaning up difficult later. To be on the safe side, we recommend placing the frozen meat on a stainless steel tray or other suitable surface when thawing, or placing it in a bag that has been confirmed to be undamaged before thawing.

Beef blocks should be defrosted for a longer time.

You can defrost a block of beef simply by placing it in the refrigerator, but the thicker the cut or the larger the block, the longer it will take to defrost. This article explains the approximate defrosting time for different sizes of beef when defrosting in the refrigerator.

Minced meat...about 4 hours
Sliced meat...about 4 hours
For a 1cm thick steak...about 8 hours
For a 4cm thick roast...approximately 14 hours
10cm thick block of meat...approximately 36 hours

If you are defrosting steak meat that is about 1cm thick, you can move it from the freezer to the refrigerator in the morning and it will thaw by the evening. If you use the chilled compartment, it will thaw more slowly, so expect it to take about twice as long to thaw. If you have a large piece of meat, be prepared for it to thaw over 2-3 days.

Our beef blocks are delivered refrigerated and cut to order on the same day, so they are delivered fresh and refrigerated, with no need to thaw.
However, if you purchase frozen products together with the product, they will be shipped together in a frozen package. In that case, they will be frozen during shipping, so please thaw them using the method above.

If you need to defrost beef quickly, try this method!

If you want to enjoy the natural flavor of the meat, it's best to thaw it slowly at a low temperature over time, but if you're in a hurry, you can also thaw it under running water.

Place the frozen beef in a plastic bag that has been checked for holes, remove as much air as possible, and tie the top. Place the beef in a bowl or tray and thaw it by running water from the tap until it overflows.

There will be a slight drip compared to thawing in the refrigerator, but the time will be reduced by about half.

Thaw at room temperature, do not refreeze

Even if you're in a hurry, we don't recommend thawing it at room temperature. Not only will it drip, but room temperature can also encourage bacteria to grow, posing a risk of food poisoning.

Also, avoid refreezing thawed meat. Most meat sold as frozen is flash-frozen using special freezers to minimize damage to the meat's cells. Even if you thaw it properly, freezing it again in a home freezer will result in a loss of flavor. After thawing in the refrigerator, meat will stay fresh for 2-3 days if left in the refrigerator, so be sure to eat all the thawed meat while it is still refrigerated.

Enjoy delicious beef using the correct thawing method!

If you're using meat for a party or event, thawing it well in advance will allow you to start cooking without rushing. If the meat isn't too big, you can move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before you plan to eat it, and it will thaw properly!