How to Defrost Beef in a Microwave

This article is part of Epi Loves the Microwave, our exploration (vindication?) of the appliance everybody loves to hate.

Your microwave would like to convince you it's intelligent. Or at least capable of thawing whatever food you place inside of it. All you need to do is push the defrost button and input your food's weight, right? But if your microwave's attempts at thawing have left you with foods that are still frozen solid, there's still hope: Just switch over to manual power. In other words, punch in cooking times and power levels yourself.

A few FYI's before you start pushing buttons: Always thaw food removed from its packaging, on a microwave-safe plate or bowl, and don't skip the flipping step. Microwave ovens have a tough time thawing evenly, even at reduced power levels, so quickly repositioning the food makes a big difference. For raw meat, you want it to be thawed but still cold throughout. If only a small portion is still icy, stop thawing and start cooking. With larger cuts of meat, there's a good chance some portions will start to actually cook while most of the meat is still frozen solid, so avoid thawing any items that are heavier than 2 pounds.

On the other end of the scale, you also want to avoid using the microwave to thaw super-light items as well—they tend to cook instead of thaw even at reduced power levels. When it comes to cuts of meat thinner than an inch, quick-cooking proteins like fish and shrimp, and loose frozen vegetables, such as peas and corn, simply place the food in a colander and run cold water over until thawed. This cheatsheet for thawing common frozen foods will get you started:

Meat

Bone-in chicken pieces, frozen together in a pack

1. Microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes; separate the pieces and flip them over.
2. Microwave at 30% power, 1 minute for every 1 1/2 pounds (checking and flipping every minute).

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen together in a pack

1. Microwave at 30% power for 2 minutes; separate the pieces and flip them over.
2. Microwave at 20% power, 1 minute for every 1/2 pound (checking and flipping every minute).

Bone-in steaks or chops (about 1 1/2 inches thick), frozen together in a pack

1. Microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes; separate the pieces and flip them over.
2. Microwave at 30% power, 1 minute for every pound (checking and flipping every minute).

Boneless steaks or chops (about 1 inch thick), frozen together in a pack

1. Microwave at 40% power for 2 minutes, flip over and separate any pieces that are stuck together.
2. Microwave at 30% power, 1 minute for every 1/2 pound (checking and flipping every minute).

Ground meat, frozen in block

1. Microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes; remove all the thawed parts that come off easily and set aside.
2. Microwave at 30% power, 1 minute for every 1/2 pound (checking and removing thawed parts every 30 seconds).

Vegetables

Packaged chopped spinach, frozen in a block

1. Microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes, pull apart and squeeze into smaller chunks.
2. Microwave at 50% power, 1 minute for every 4 ounces (checking and stirring every minute).

Packaged chopped broccoli, frozen in a block

1. Microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes, separate pieces as much as possible.
2. Microwave at 50% power, 1 minute for every 5 ounces (checking and stirring every minute).

Broth, Soup, and Stew

Broth, frozen in a quart container

1. Run sealed container under hot water to release the frozen block into a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Microwave on high (100% power) for 3 minutes; stir well.
3. Microwave on high (100% power) for 3 minutes (stirring every minute).

Stew without dairy, frozen in a quart container

1. Run sealed container under hot water to release the frozen block into a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Microwave on high (100% power) for 5 minutes; stir well.
3. Microwave on high (100% power) for 3 minutes (checking and stirring every minute).

Stew with dairy, frozen in a quart container

1. Run sealed container under hot water to release the frozen block into a microwave-safe bowl
2. Microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes; stir well.
3. Microwave on high (100% power) for 3 minutes (checking and stirring every minute).

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As soon as you're done thawing, start cooking. Since you're using the microwave to thaw, you're probably in a rush, so that shouldn't be an issue. But since the internal temperature of the food now varies, it's best to cook it through all the way, in a stir-fry, sauté, braise, stew, or soup. (It's virtually impossible to nail an even medium-rare seared steak post-microwave thawing, so if that's your plan, thaw your steak overnight in the fridge instead.)

The exception to the thaw-until-cold rule is broth, soup, and fully cooked leftovers. With these, you want to get them so hot, they're boiling evenly. This will ensure bacteria's killed and that dinner's hot and ready. Even if you're using frozen broth for whatever you're cooking fresh, chances are you want it hot. Follow the instructions through the last step, then keep zapping and checking every minute if your food is still icy after the designated time.

The thawing guide below offers the time needed based on a 1,200-watt microwave, the most powerful option available. Microwave ovens produce a wide range of power, so your thawing time may be longer. To find discover the wattage on your machine (and how to adjust cook times), check out this primer. Once you've figured that out, you can get dinner from frozen to the table in flash.

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Source: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-thaw-every-food-in-the-microwave-oven-article

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