Is Dethawing Raw Chicken With Hot Water Bad Reddit

Isitbullshit: defrosting chicken in hot water can kill you?

My parents told me this all the time when I was a boy and was wondering how accurate this is.

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level 1

So . . . ELI5 is that bacteria proliferate (grow) between 40-140°F. Hot water is warmer than 40° and it takes a long enough time to defrost using hot water -- or worse, leaving chicken to thaw on the counter -- that there is real concern for bacterial illness from eating that chicken. Cooking chicken does kill this bacteria but it is the waste products of this growth that cause illness, not the bacteria themselves. Thawing chicken faster using any other method risks bacterial illness but that would only make most people sick from food poisoning. Statistically only those with weak immune systems (children, the elderly, some diseases) are at risk from death, even if the food poisoning might make you wish you were dead. You'll hear lots of people say "I've done it this way and never had a problem" and that is fortunate for them, but not the safest gamble to take. For safety, thaw frozen chicken in the fridge under 40°F.

level 2

If you cooked the chicken, would that kill all the bacteria anyway?

level 2

So basically I gotta thaw it in the fridge (under 40°F)? I'm a noob at cooking. How long (roughly) does it take to defrost, like a full day?

What about a piece of steak, like a ribeye?

level 1

I have done this 2-3 times a week for the last like 6 years. No idea it was dangerous??

level 1

Defrosting chicken in hot water takes 20 minutes. You'll be fine.

level 2

Seconded. If you defrost breast meat in hot water it takes 10-20 min tops.
I would be a bit wary of defrosting anything with the bone still inside in hot water though, I would guess the risks are much higher.

level 1

Defrosting chicken will not kill you no matter how hard you try short of waiting 3 days and eating it raw. Just don't leave it out longer than a couple hours and cook it well to be safe, but don't listen to these schizos regarding toxins l0l

level 1

OK, here's the response from somebody who took food micro. The recommendation is to not thaw in water. However, I do it all the time. Bacteria in general can replicate below 60C and above 5C, so temperatures in that range are dangerous. Bacteria (vegetative cells) are killed by cooking. Spores are largely irrelevant as they won't become vegetative cells in your gut and cause illness. The only toxin to worry about is the heat stable Staphlococcus aureus toxin. Staph is in your nose and on your body so you need to wash your hands carefully before cooking. I partly thaw in warm water in a bag then cook. I use a thermometer and go a bit higher than recommended temps. So, can thawing in warm water kill you? Not likely, but you want to minimize the time foods are held in the danger zone noted above.

Is Dethawing Raw Chicken With Hot Water Bad Reddit

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/IsItBullshit/comments/9y7teo/isitbullshit_defrosting_chicken_in_hot_water_can/

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