Contemporary kitchens boast frozen foods for daily use. Whether it’s freezing steaks, fruits, seafood, or frozen vegetables, freezing not only keeps the meal longer, but affords more flexibility for meal preparation; yet, when it comes time to cook a meal, many times the question remains, is it necessary to thaw or can I cook from the freezer?
In fact, the answer is not always the same. The type of ingredient and the method of cooking determine whether you can skip thawing or not. Let’s explore.
Which Ingredients Can Be “Directly Cooked”?
Some frozen products are manufactured for direct heating and cooking. Examples are as follows:
- Frozen dumplings, French fries, and pizza-these are foods that usually have been partially pretreated before freezing, so cooking them directly will not affect their taste.
- Frozen vegetables-They have been blanched before freezing, so cooking them directly maintains texture and nutrients.
- Fish fillets and thinly sliced chicken breast—if these are thin, they can be placed directly in a pan or the oven to heat through, but the cooking time will need to be extended to ensure they are cooked through.
Tip: The success of direct cooking lies in even heating. To ensure that the outside does not get cooked and the inside remains raw, a lot of cooks suggest turning down the heat and lengthening the cooking time.
Categories of Ingredients That Have to Be Thawed
However, not all of them can be cooked directly. The following types have to be thawed first:
- Whole cuts of meat or fish: These are so thick that, unless defrosted, the outside tends to burn before the inside is cooked;
- Ingredients that need to be marinated, such as steak and chicken wings, absorb flavor better when they are thawed.
- Fried ingredients: Most of the time, if the moisture content is higher, then this could create a hazardous situation by causing the oil to splash when attempting to fry them directly.
Thus, naturally thawing and quickly defrosting such ingredients beforehand will not only reduce cooking time but also preserve tenderness and enhance taste.
Why is “Quick Natural Thawing” More Scientific?
Many people use microwaves to defrost food to save time, but this method can easily lead to:
- overheating of the surface while the center remains frozen;
- nutrient loss;
- even affecting the taste.
In contrast, natural defrosting protects the original flavor of food much better. At the same time, the traditional approach to natural defrosting takes several hours, which is already inappropriate for modern life.
This is where the advantage of a quick defrost tray comes in: using highly thermally conductive materials to speed up the heat exchange between frozen food and air, it can defrost food naturally in about 10 minutes. It works without the use of electricity or chemical additives and is safe and non-polluting.
How to know if defrosting is necessary:
To tell if defrosting is needed, use the following 3 tips:
- Thickness of food: The thicker the food, the more advanced defrosting it needs.
- How to cook: You can steam or boil it straight from frozen, but for frying or grilling, it is always better when the food is defrosted first.
- Safety requirements: For high-protein foods like meat or seafood, it is always best to let it thaw naturally to make sure there will be no bacteria piece from a core temperature issue.
Store food more efficiently, safely, and ecologically – use KAYUSO thawing trays
If you try to thaw food quickly, while still being great for the original structure and nutrients of the food, KAYUSO quick-thawing trays are the essential helper you need!
KAYUSO’s factory has advanced equipment and precision production lines. From the careful selection and processing of raw materials to the final assembly and testing of products, the whole process is strictly controlled to make sure every thawing tray produced fully meets international quality standards.
- No electricity required: Energy-saving and environmentally friendly;
- 10-minute quick thawing: Locks in the freshness and nutrients of food;
- Easy to clean and durable: Easy maintenance.
- Suitable for various ingredients: Meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables.
Make meal preparation effortless, starting with thawing.
KAYUSO is now recruiting distributors and partners globally to bring the concept of efficient kitchens to more families and catering businesses.
Contact us now for samples and wholesale quotes, so your customers can also experience truly “fast and natural thawing”!