• Ground beef tin can be safely defrosted in the refrigerator, a bowl of cold water, or in the microwave.
  • Defrosting in the microwave is the fastest selection, just then you must cook the beef correct away.
  • If you thaw ground beef in the refrigerator, information technology is safe to refreeze again.

If you, similar many other home cooks, continue a supply of ground beefiness in the freezer, you're likely familiar with the defrosting procedure — which means y'all're probably also familiar with the frustration that comes with forgetting to accept the beef out of the freezer ahead of time.

Defrosting ground beef properly ensures you lot steer clear from potential harmful bacteria. Dr. Darin Detwiler, a food regulatory skilful and professor at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, says that "at that place will never exist an cease to pathogens in our food, only we tin change the civilisation around the future of nutrient safety."

The next time you lot need to bring your beef to room temperature, follow the methods below.

Method one: In the refrigerator

"The safest fashion to defrost footing beef is to exercise then in the fridge for at least 24 hours," Detwiler says. The refrigerator method is safest considering it "keeps ground beef out of the danger zone, which refers to temperatures betwixt forty degrees Fahrenheit to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, where pathogens and bacteria can abound."

Detwiler says the fridge keeps the meat safely cool and warms it enough to fully defrost, which is crucial for "cooking the meat thoroughly to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which is required to kill any remaining pathogens."

To defrost ground beefiness in the refrigerator, place the package of frozen footing beefiness on a plate that's big enough to grab any possible drippings from the meat as information technology defrosts. Adjacent, place the plate on a low shelf in the refrigerator, which will help you "avoid the possibility of juices dripping onto other foods." The ground beef should remain in the fridge for at least 24 hours to fully defrost.

If you don't employ all of the defrosted ground beef correct away, Detwiler says that it's rubber to store the leftovers dorsum in the freezer as long as you do and then within 48 hours of the original defrosting. Notwithstanding, for actress prophylactic insurance confronting pathogens and bacteria, Detwiler advises to cook the meat thoroughly before freezing it over again.

Method two: In cold water

You cannot refreeze raw footing beefiness if y'all defrosted information technology using the cold h2o method or the microwave method.
Oscar Wong/Getty Images

If yous need to defrost your ground beefiness and don't have a full 24 hours to wait, y'all tin can defrost it in a bowl of cold water. This method should accept less than an hour, and it's safe equally long as the water is changed out every bit it warms to room temperature.

To defrost ground beef in common cold water, make certain the beef is sealed in a leak-proof package, similar a resealable plastic bag. "Set up the plastic handbag with the frozen meat in a sink or, preferably, in a large bowl, cover with cold water, and weigh the package of meat downwardly with something heavy," Detwiler says. The weighing-down keeps the meat submerged, which is essential to continue the meat at a safe temperature for fifty-fifty defrosting.

Go out the package submerged in cold water for 20 to 30 minutes. After that, you can "test" the meat'south readiness by gently poking it with your fingers. If you feel water ice crystals or stiffness, then it needs more time (and a fresh round of common cold water). Once the meat is thawed, take it out of the water bowl and cook immediately.

Method three: In the microwave

For the quickest possible defrosting method, you can defrost the ground beef in the microwave.  This method yields safe-to-eat basis beef, but with one major caveat: you accept to cook it right away.

"Remove all packaging, then place the meat on a plate. Use the microwave'southward defrost settings or prepare information technology at 50% ability for ii to three minutes, rotating and flipping the beef every 30 seconds, until information technology is fully thawed. Cook immediately and thoroughly to a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit," Detwiler says.

One important note: You shouldn't refreeze beef if y'all thaw it in the microwave. Because the meat is exposed to high temperatures (and has therefore spent time in the danger zone), stashing information technology in the fridge to cook subsequently isn't a safe move, either. Salvage this method for when you're set up to get cooking immediately.

What to avoid

To ensure the all-time quality and taste, use your frozen ground beefiness inside four months.
Claudia Totir/Getty Images
  • Never thaw footing beefiness at room temperature. "Some people leave frozen meat out on the counter to thaw and volition exit it there for six to eight hours, thinking that this will definitely get the chore done. In reality, this allows it to get too warm and allows pathogens to grow," Detwiler says.
  • Never thaw ground beef using hot water. Merely as thawing meat on the counter leaves it exposed to danger zone temps, then does thawing the meat in hot water.  The sudden shock of hot h2o on frozen meat volition have negative effects on its texture, and as the h2o cools down, the meat becomes vulnerable to unsafe temperatures. Plus, the hot water could brainstorm to "cook" the meat, which gives you a totally inconsistent block of ground beef that'south partially cooked on the outside and still frozen on the inside.
  • Don't keep ground beefiness in the freezer for longer than four months. Information technology'southward tempting to presume that ground beefiness tin can exist kept in the freezer indefinitely. The USDA recommends using it within four months for the best quality, taste, and texture.

Insider'due south takeaway

Defrosting ground beefiness in the refrigerator is the safest option, but it takes a full 24 hours. For faster results, submerge the frozen ground beefiness in cold water for i hour. The quickest method is the microwave method, which volition defrost the ground beefiness in just a few minutes, but yous'll have to cook the meat immediately.

Taylor Tobin is a contributing writer for INSIDER and a Brooklyn-based writer roofing food & drink, beauty, style, and pop civilisation. Past works can also be constitute at Observer, Brokelyn, and UrbanDaddy. She's a fan of bikes, books, and bourbon (not necessarily in that lodge).