What is the best way to thaw my KOL Foods meat?

We flash freeze all our meat so that it arrives at your door in the best shape possible. However, this begs the question- how do you best thaw meat?

The safest and most consistent way to thaw your KOL Foods meat is to take it out with enough time for it to thaw in the refrigerator. The amount of time this takes varies based on the weight, but please be aware that larger or thicker cuts can take several days. A good rule of thumb is at least 24 hours for every five pounds. Food thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking, although there may be some loss of quality.

After thawing in the refrigerator, items such as ground meat, stew meat, poultry, and fish, should remain safe and in good quality for an additional day or two before cooking; red meat cuts, such as beef or lamb roasts, chops, and steaks, should remain safe for 3 to 5 days.

Another alternative we recommend is the cold water method. Submerge your meat in a container of cold water. Change out the water every 30 minutes until the meat is fully thawed. A few points to remember when using this method:

• Please do not use warm water. This can unevenly thaw your meat and encourage bacterial growth.
• Make sure the bag is well sealed. If the bag leaks, this can allow bacteria from the environment to get into your food via the water as it thaws. We highly recommend putting your meat in a sealed Ziploc bag before using this method.
• Plan to cook this meat immediately after thawing. Meat thawed with the cold water method should be cooked before being refrozen.

We strongly advise against thawing your KOL Foods meat in the microwave. Some of our packaging, namely our tubes for ground meats, are sealed with metal staples. Additionally, the microwave causes the meat to thaw unevenly- some areas of the meat may even begin cooking during the process instead of just coming to slightly below room temperature, creating the risk of food-borne pathogens. Cook microwave-thawed meat immediately after thawing. 

We also do not advise cooking our meat from frozen, unless you intend to sous vide the meat. Other methods of cooking would cook the meat unevenly, causing the outside to be overdone while the meat is still raw in the center. Additionally, to cook from frozen takes approximately 50% more time according to the USDA, at which point, the cold water method would have completely defrosted the item.

For more tips on thawing and cooking your KOL Foods meat, please see our blog here.

For specific questions on thawing your KOL Foods turkey, please see our turkey FAQ here.