I have mentioned that my husband and I have purchased a portion of a cow. My friend that has done all the work in regards to researching grass-fed beef and the procurement of the cow is a chef. When we talk about the beef – she forgets she no longer has to “sell” me on it – she says it is so nice to know she has meat in the freezer for dinner and she loves that she doesn’t have to go to the store for dinner. I am unfamiliar with that feeling because 1) I primarily cook what I have. Unlike her I just look at what I have, then I decide what to cook. It is not often I think, “Oh I want this (this, specific thing that requires specific meat) today” and go about making it. But such is the creative life of a talented chef (my friend). 2) I forget to take it out to defrost. THAT is my problem. I forget to take the meat out. I don’t always wake up thinking, “What should I make for dinner?” And even when or if I do, by the time I get out of bed and make my way downstairs, I forget to go directly to the freezer to take out for defrosting, whatever I was thinking I could make for dinner. My friend suggested a method that works and speeds up the process.
As we were talking I shared with her my preferred method and she did not like it. She expressed concern over the safety of it, but it works for me except when I forget to take whatever I am defrosting out of the oven before I turn it on. I usually think of taking something out of the freezer to thaw after my Nia classes, in the middle of any work I am doing . . . so about 2:00 or 3:00 pm.
In her infinite knowledge my friend told me to put the meat on metal. I am sure many of you know that and might even employ the method. I know that metal conducts cold but I never thought about it defrosting meat.
It works VERY well. I can take some meat out in the afternoon and cook it in the evening. That same evening. One thing I do, is I switch metal. So if I need it to defrost faster I switch the metal the meat is on. So I put the meat on a metal pan, then when the pan is cold, I switch to a new pan. Works fast. I have not tried BIG cuts of meat, because a big cut takes more planning to cook for me than taking it out in the afternoon for cooking that same evening. I bet it would work, but take a long time. I am sure it will help make the process happen faster, but not as fast as I need.
So, I understand that this might not be new to a lot of people, but I thought I would share for those that hadn’t thought about it. This has made my life a lot easier. I hope that it can help ease your dinner “pain” and make your life easier.
Did you know about the metal method? How do you defrost your meat?
Terre Pruitt's Blog 