Cafe Society. Moved.
samclem GQ moderator
I’ve actually seen cakes and such with directions for defrosted and frozen states. A lot of these taste better defrosted, and it doesn’t take as long. But I’ve never seen this for food containing any sort of meat or vegetable.
Or possibly to protect the food company from lawsuits due to bacteria infecting the food during the thawing process (no, you shouldn’t thaw the turkey overnight on the counter). If you cook from frozen, you can’t defrost it wrong.
Are these frozen meals precooked, and all you’re doing is warming them to a palatable temperature?
Actually, there is some method to the madness.
Some breaded products are meant to be cooked from frozen because they will get soggy if you attempt to thaw them out first. This applies to things like chicken fingers/nuggets, fish sticks, and the like.
The same concept applies to things like frozen pizzas or those newfangled microwaveable panini - if you thaw them out, the toppings/fillings will soak into the crust/bread and since the food is pre-cooked, it’ll be overdone by the time you cook out all the excess liquid. Ditto on frozen pre-baked pies.
Doesn’t really explain the duck legs in orange, of course, but there you have it.
That answers it ** Mahna Mahna**
I just put some Southern Fried Chicken in the oven, uncooked and it states on the pack.
“If defrosted may impair texture and taste”
I guess they mean “Will get all soggy and taste like shit”
I like Chowder’s down-to-earth approach to easy cooking advice. I’m reminded of my brother once yelling at his quick attempt at dinner "Oi ! It said “cook until golden crispy! It didn’t say anything about nasty yukky orangey gloop!”