# Where do you defrost your dinner meat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 25, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269 "2014-02-25T23:21:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/21 "2014-02-27T13:22:15Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > In the microwave. > > I put it there in the morning, and it’s usually defrosted by the evening. Works on the Sabbath as well! I’m the same as most others - move it from freezer to fridge the night before if organised enough, or move from freezer to plate on the counter in the morning if not. I’m always wary of defrosting in the microwave as it does tend to start cooking it, but I guess that’s not really a problem if you then cook it through immediately anyway. I figure that with food hygiene standards nowadays and all meat being shrink wrapped, the likelihood of much bacteria developing in a few hours of defrosting at room temperature is not that great. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/22 "2014-02-27T14:15:28Z")
You left out an “all of the above” choice. It’s like I have a strict one place only to defrost food. With once exception. I never use a bowl of hot water. Sometimes I’ll put it in a sink full of cool water. Sometimes on the counter top. Sometimes in the refrigerator over night. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/23 "2014-02-27T16:50:56Z")
I take it out of the freezer in the morning, put it on the countertop on a plate, and put a couple of oven mitts on top of it. The mitts keep it from defrosting too quickly; the meat is usually still cold when I come home that night. ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/24 "2014-02-27T17:35:03Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > You left out an “all of the above” choice. This. I _will_ use the microwave on occasion, but only at low power. It still develops warm spots, but usually not enough to screw up the actual cooking. If I use water, I usually put it in a bowl in the sink and run a trickle of cold water over it. That keeps me from having to manually change the water repeatedly. In the fridge a day or two in advance is the preferred method. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/25 "2014-02-27T20:45:21Z")
If it’s sliced meat (e.g. pastrami or turkey) for a sandwich, I defrost it in the microwave (30% power for about 8 minutes for 1/2 pound). Other than that (e.g. a steak, or ground beef for a burger or casserole), I put it in the refrigerator, usually in a plastic bag which is then placed in a bowl of water, and let it sit for 24 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/26 "2014-02-27T21:07:47Z")
I don’t do frozen food. My fridge has a freezer…and it is empty. Frozen food is evil… Frozen food is diabolic… It is Satanic and wicked and anathema! (I had a bad experience once with a frozen pizza… 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/27 "2014-02-27T21:12:59Z")
In a bowl of water with a tiny drip of cold running water. I almost always do this in the bathroom, so as not to take up kitchen sink space. ---
**Author:** ![Roundabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dec6dc/32.png) [@Roundabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roundabout)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/28 "2014-02-27T22:18:21Z")
I put them in the sink so the blood and water can go down the drain. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/29 "2014-02-28T00:36:51Z")
I try to remember to defrost in the refrigerator overnight. But there are times the kitchen sink is the best and quickest method to get dinner made. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/30 "2014-02-28T01:14:36Z")
It’s usually on the counter over night. Or during the day. If I’m on the ball (rarely lately), it’s in the refrigerator. If I’ve completely forgotten to take something out, then it would be in a bowl of water with water running over it. This is almost always meat. We buy a whole lamb, half a pig and half a cow about once a year, so our freezer is generally full of meat that needs defrosting before cooking. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269/31 "2014-02-28T06:00:09Z")
I hate planning meals ahead, so I always use a bowl of warm water (often changed out once or twice as it gets cold). Rarely I will resort to the microwave. I never plan ahead enough to use the countertop alone, or the refridgerator. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-you-defrost-your-dinner-meat/682269.md?page=1)