Maybe I have been lucky in my choice of microwave ovens, but I have used the thaw cycle on mine for years and have found it to be a good way to thaw most foods without difficulty--quickly enough to be safe, not leaving part of the item still frozen, and not precooking the item in places. That said, I shield thin parts of some cuts of meat so they don't thaw and cook too quickly. That said, I also cook some very delicate foods using the thaw setting, and sometimes use that setting to warm up leftovers that I don't want to let get tough from overcooking, like fish and other meats. If you have an egg setting you can also use that to warm tender foods without changing their nature, but you have to watch them closer than when you use the thaw setting for warming. The bottom line is that you have to know your microwave oven. Anyway, I don't agree with the third item in the suggestions for thawing frozen foods. Microwave ovens would not be equipped with thaw cycles if they were not safe to use for the job. But as I said, you have to be careful and watch what is happening. Thawing anything too long in the microwave will begin the cooking process. The best suggestion on the list was number 4 which suggested thawing meat on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator to keep juices from running and getting into other foods below. I always put thawing food on a plate or in a container in case of dripping. I really dislike cleaning up blood splatters from thawing meat. Two reasons, it is hard to find the drips and it is hard to know if you got all the colored stuff cleaned up. I don't hesitate to get sighted help to inspect and catch what I may miss.
Pamela Fairchild <[email protected]> -----Original Message----- From: Sugar via Cookinginthedark <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2018 10:58 PM To: CND List <[email protected]> Cc: Sugar <[email protected]> Subject: [CnD] 13 Safety Guidelines When Freezing Food 13 Safety Guidelines When Freezing Food Here are 13 general food safety guidelines you'll need to keep in mind when you're freezing, thawing and reheating foods: 1. Always wash your hands before and after handling raw food. 2. Thaw your food in the fridge and never at room temperature. To quickly defrost your meal, put it in a water tight bag and place the bag in a bowl of water, changing the water every 30 minutes. Changing the water prohibits any bacterial growth. 3. Don't use the microwave to thaw food. This may be a fast method of defrosting food but microwave oven power levels vary between different makes and models. _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
