Defrosting: Room Temp vs. Microwave?

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hatman5700
hatman5700 Posts: 11
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all & Happy new year - Had a question regarding defrosting but before that...

SOME BACKGROUND:
I've started a diet over the past month that involves cooking all my meals ahead of time, freezing & storing them, and then eating them day by day. I basically cook 21 healthy meals, stuff em' in tupperware, and then eat 3 meals a day.
21 meals = 3 meals/day * 7 days/week = healthy eating for the week, nice & easy :)!
When I get to work I'll bring 2 frozen meals from home and eat them around 12:30pm & 4:00pm, which brings me to my...

QUESTION:
When I bring my frozen meals from home and get to work (9:00am), should I...
A. Be putting these in the work refrigerator and then later defrosting via Microvave + reheating normally in the Microwaveas as comes time to eat?
-===OR===-
B. Leave these meals out at room tempature to defrost and then heat them up normally in the microwave when it comes time to eat?

Replies

  • fruttibiscotti
    fruttibiscotti Posts: 986 Member
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    I don't know what the official food safety regulations would stipulate, but what I do is leave them at room temp, and nuke them when ready to eat. On my way to the office, they are at room temp during transport anyway...so what's a few more hours?
  • _jessicamarie_
    _jessicamarie_ Posts: 35 Member
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    I would probably defrost them in my home fridge overnight the night before work, then take them to work and store them in the work fridge until you're ready to heat them up and eat. In my microwave, defrosting takes forever and can have uneven results. And I am very uncomfortable about defrosting at room temperature.
  • piersonj
    piersonj Posts: 62 Member
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    The food service rules are that food can stay in the danger zone (40 - 140 degrees F) for 4 hours then must be disposed of. When you defrost food at room temp some portions can enter the danger zone pretty quickly. Food should be thawed in the refridgerator (under 40 F) as the safest way to defrost. Solid items such as roasts or fowl can be thawed under cold running water to speed the process.

    That being said, most home cooks that I know of thaw at room temp. You get to judge the danger for your self because you will not be feeding it to someone else and will only harm yourself if you mishandle the food or cross contaminate. I would not recommend thawing the raw tuna for the sushi lunch on the counter, but if you cooked the meal responsibly (without any temp abuses) then your lunch should be good to go.
  • seven_eleven88
    seven_eleven88 Posts: 18 Member
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    I would say take them out the night before, let them defrost in your fridge at home over night. They should be defrosted in the morning.
    The quality of your lunch / dinner will be much better.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    The food service rules are that food can stay in the danger zone (40 - 140 degrees F) for 4 hours then must be disposed of. When you defrost food at room temp some portions can enter the danger zone pretty quickly. Food should be thawed in the refridgerator (under 40 F) as the safest way to defrost. Solid items such as roasts or fowl can be thawed under cold running water to speed the process.

    That being said, most home cooks that I know of thaw at room temp. You get to judge the danger for your self because you will not be feeding it to someone else and will only harm yourself if you mishandle the food or cross contaminate. I would not recommend thawing the raw tuna for the sushi lunch on the counter, but if you cooked the meal responsibly (without any temp abuses) then your lunch should be good to go.

    Agreed.

    Since you're eating it yourself, just know there's an increased risk of food poisoning by letting the food sit at room temp for that long, and make your choice. I often just let things thaw at rm tmp for myself. Never food I'm feeding anyone else.

    There is also a third option if you have a sink in your office kitchen. You can thaw your meat (still in the tupperware) by submerging in rm tmp water. Should take 5-10 min (depends on portion size and how much it's thawed in the fridge in the meantime) and won't accidentally overcook like it would in the microwave. I thaw rock-hard frozen chicken breasts this way in 20-30 minutes at home when I forget to pull them out of the freezer.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
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    NEVER thaw food at room temperature. That makes it a breeding ground for bacteria. If you must defrost quickly, use a microwave. The best option is to thaw overnight in the fridge.
  • hatman5700
    hatman5700 Posts: 11
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    Thanks for all the advice guys...

    Although admittely... I did just eat my second meal which has been in room temp since 9:00am this morning... I pray to the porcelain gods for their waiverance on my soul :S.

    Going forward I think I'll just toss the food I intend to bring to work in the fridge overnight - sounds easy enough!

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