From burgers to meatballs, ground beef is a common ingredient in many delicious dishes. Unless you’re using fresh ground beef, you’ll have to thaw it beforehand. Thawed ground beef is easier to shape and it cooks more evenly. Here are some of the best ways to defrost it.
Refrigerator
The safest way to defrost frozen ground beef is to move it to the refrigerator overnight. The meat will defrost slowly and evenly, without allowing harmful bacteria to grow because it will never enter the temperature danger zone. The only downside of this method is that it takes time and it doesn’t work if you want to use your ground beef last minute.
Water
If you’re looking for the safest way to quickly defrost your ground beef, cold water will do the trick. Place your ground beef in a bowl of cold water and replace the water if it gets too warm to avoid the growth of bacteria. Using warm water may be faster, but it’s not as safe, so you should avoid it if you’re not in a rush.
Microwave
You can also use the microwave to defrost ground beef, but you should only go down this road when you’re extremely short on time. It only takes five minutes for your beef to thaw, but make sure to use it right away, especially if it starts to cook while defrosting.
