How To Defrost Ground Beef In Microwave

Microwaves have proven itself in making our daily lives more comfortable. It has become one of the must-haves in our kitchen. It does more than just saving our time in reheating your food. In this article, let us talk about how to defrost ground beef in microwave and other methods.

Defrosting Ground Beef - The Shortcut

Using your microwave would probably be the fastest way to defrost ground beef. It will probably just take you five minutes, and the beef would be ready to cook. Here's how to defrost ground beef in microwave.

1. Get your frozen ground beef out of the freezer.
2. Remove the packaging, especially if it's plastic. You do not want to heat the ground beef along with its packaging, as it can be a fire hazard.
3. Put the ground beef on a plate or in a bowl.
4. Next is to put it inside the microwave.
5. Set the microwave at 50% power for 2 to 3 minutes
6. Keep flipping the beef every 40 - 45 seconds until it is defrosted.
7. Remove the thawed ground beef from the microwave as they are ready to be cooked.

Important reminder: Some portion of the beef might be cooked during the thawing process. Make sure to cook the defrosted ground beef right away.

Defrosting Ground Beef - The Long Way

Microwave, of course, not just the only way to defrost it. If you are not in a hurry, there are other options that you can try. One way is to defrost it inside the fridge or defrost it with the help of cold water.

1. Defrost in the fridge - This method would probably be considered the longest as it could take you the entire day to wait for the beef to defrost. However, this method would be the safest as it maintains the quality of the ground beef. Another advantage of using this method is you don't have to worry about cooking it right away. In case you change your mind and would like to cook something else instead, you can let it stay in the fridge for a day or two. The length of defrosting time will depend on the portion of the beef. Smaller parts will defrost faster, while bigger portions are the ones that will take much longer.
   
2. Submerging in cold water - This method is much shorter than the fridge method. All you need to do is make sure that you put the frozen ground beef in a sealed container. Then get a large bowl where you can submerge that container with ground beef in cold water. Make sure to change the water in the bowl every 30 minutes until the beef is thawed. Just like the microwave method, make sure to cook the defrosted ground beef right away to prevent rapid bacteria growth.

Conclusion

If you are in a hurry to cook, microwave would be your best option to defrost the ground beef. However, if you can take time, opt for the defrosting in the fridge method. It will take longer, but you can guarantee the quality.