Is it faster to defrost chicken in the refrigerator with hot water or cold water?

Chicken in the refrigerator can be thawed quickly with hot water, but this will destroy the texture and nutrition of the meat.

The worst way to defrost is to soak it in hot water. Soaking in hot water can indeed defrost it quickly, but it will cause certain damage to the taste and nutrition. This is because meat is basically quick-frozen during frozen storage, so that its cell fluid and interstitial fluid will be quickly frozen, so its nutrients and flavor can be better preserved.

When thawing, if water at ordinary temperature (6℃~8℃) is used, the cell tissue fluid can still gradually seep back into the tissue cells after slowly melting, so that it can return to fresh meat. The state will not cause the loss of nutrients.

However, if you use hot water or even boiling water to thaw, the condensed cell fluid and tissue fluid will quickly melt and flow out of the meat tissue, causing water loss. This meat is unsatisfactory both in terms of taste and nutrition. Extended information

The correct ways to defrost meat refrigerated in the refrigerator include:

1. Use an aluminum basin to defrost frozen meat: The strong thermal conductivity of aluminum products is used to thaw the frozen meat. When the two ends are tightly attached to the aluminum pot, the frozen meat quickly exchanges heat with the surrounding air through the aluminum pot. After continuous heat exchange, the frozen meat will melt in a short time. If you don’t have an aluminum pot at home, aluminum lids and aluminum basins can also be used.

2. Thaw with salt water or vinegar: because salt water can accelerate the melting of ice and will not breed bacteria. Tap water is not suitable for thawing frozen meat. In addition, you can also dip a fork into the meat with vinegar to speed up defrosting.

3. Defrost in the refrigerator: Put the meat in the lower layer of the refrigerator the night before. Not only will it thaw evenly, but there will be no loss of nutrients, it is also very safe, and it is also low-carbon and environmentally friendly. If you are really in a hurry, you can also turn to a microwave oven.

People's Daily Online - Never defrost meat like this. How to defrost meat correctly