How to Properly Defrost Foods

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  • edcrewguy Flag

    ?
    Should the food be in the container when running cold water over it? Or can the food be exposed?

  • jcmcentire Flag

    Answer to Q on running under water
    Food should stay in the container or package when you run it under cold water to thaw. For items like frozen meats and poultry, you don't want to contaminate your sink by having the products exposed. Similarly, it's not necessary, and not recommended, to rinse your chicken before you bake it. Pathogens will be killed by cooking (if you cook to the right temperature).

Jennifer McEntire, Institute of Food Technologists
Research Scientist, Institute of Food Technologists
www.ift.org  
1-800-IFT-FOOD

Dr. Jennifer Cleveland McEntire is a food microbiologist with the Institute of Food Technologists. Founded in 1939, and with world headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, USA, the Institute of Food Technologist is a not-for-profit international scientific society with 22,000 members working in food science, technology and related professions in the industry, academia and government. As the society for food science and technology, IFT brings sound science to the public discussion of food issues.

Dr. McEntire received a degree in Food Science from the University of Delaware and conducted her doctoral work in the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University as a USDA National Needs Fellow in Food Safety. She has authored or co-authored several peer reviewed publications, as well as a book chapter on antimicrobial resistance of foodborne pathogens, and has presented her work nationally and internationally. At IFT, she manages government contract work in the areas of food defense, produce safety risk assessment, and rice fortification, and writes scientific reports on food safety related topics. She is IFT's liaison to the Partnership for Food Safety Education (www.fightbac.org). She actively promotes food science as a career, developing resources for students and teachers and outreach materials for IFT members.

How to Properly Defrost Foods

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