In article . com>,
"salgud" > wrote:

> Denny Wheeler wrote:
> > On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 16:35:51 +1300, Peter Huebner
> > > wrote:
> >
> > >Never had a microwave, until we were given one by a customer loyalty
> > >scheme a
> > >few months ago. So I am pretty inexperienced when it comes to anything
> > >beyond
> > >reheating a cup of coffee in that gadget.
> > >
> > >I've tried defrosting pork, sausages and ground beef a few times and my
> > >results
> > >are pretty abysmal. I used the built in defrosting program where you set
> > >the
> > >weight, then press start. Alas, I find that usually the meat is still
> > >part-
> > >frozen in the centre, yet already partly cooked on the outside by the time
> > >the
> > >cycle ends. This is hopeless; it ruins the food.
> > >
> > >Any tips? (think I'll go back to defrosting under the running cold tap in
> > >the
> > >meantime - but sometimes it would be convenient to do it more quickly).
> >
> > For ground meat, do as ms. peacock suggests--effectively defrosting by
> > layers.
> >
> > I tend to agree with Steve W. about the built-in defrost cycles. You
> > sometimes might want to wrap tips of whatever with foil to prevent
> > their receiving too much microwave energy.
>
> Wrap with foil? Not unless you want to destroy your microwave and
> possibly start a fire!
>
> > Steve's 'nuke-wait'-repeat approach works well.
> >
> > You'll also find the micro to be useful for melting butter (use low
> > power and short times, though) or just softening a cold cube of it.
> > Again, low power/short times. Good for frozen veggies like corn,
> > peas, baby limas, too.
> >
> > --
> > -denny-
> > "Do your thoughts call ahead or do they just arrive at your mouth
> > unannounced?"
> >
> > "It's come as you are, baby."
> >
> > -over the hedge
>
> Maybe no one else here cares, but I don't like running water over
> something to defrost it. I don't like wasting the water.
> What I find works very well is one of those metal plate defrosting
> gizmos. It's just an flat piece of some metal alloy with tiny feet to
> get it just off the counter so air can circulate under it. It conducts
> heat from the room into the meat and defrosts very well. If I turn the
> meat every 15 min or so, and run hot water over the plate for a few
> seconds each time I turn the meat, it works even faster.
> Hope this helps in your world.
>

Y'know, I keep hearing about the "dangers" of room temp. thawing...

but I do it all the time. <enter flame here>

I plan ahead when I want meat. I take it out of the freezer, put it in
the microwave to protect it from curious kitties, go to sleep and wake
up 6 hours later. If I'm not going to cook it right away, it goes into
the 'frige to finish thawing. There are usually some ice crystals left
after that period of time.

I keep the house cold at 70 degrees. ;-)

If it is something large, I take it out before I go to work. That's a 9
hour room temp. thaw.

I've been doing this for a very, very long time and I have yet to have
anything spoil. It's still either partially frozen or at least very cold
to the touch by the time it gets refrigerated or cooked if it was an
overnight thaw.

So what's the big deal?

Cheers!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson