Just with 2 simple ingredients that every household has, you can defrost meat easily in 5 minutes.

Nowadays, many families store frozen meat and fish in the freezer to save time going to the market. When needed, they take the meat out to defrost and then cook it. However, defrosting a piece of meat often takes a lot of time. If you let the meat thaw slowly in the refrigerator, it can take an entire day. If you leave it outside to thaw naturally, it won’t be safe. Soaking meat in water isn’t the fastest method either.

To defrost meat quickly while keeping it fresh and tasty, follow the methods below.

Defrosting with salt

Prepare a bowl of water (make sure the water fully covers the meat). Add 2 tablespoons of salt and stir well. Put the meat in and soak it in the salt water. After about 10 minutes, you’ll see the meat soften.

You don’t need to soak it until the meat is completely soft. It only needs to soften slightly while still being firm. Slightly firm meat is easier to slice thinly and neatly.

If you want the meat to soften more, you can cut the piece in half and continue soaking for a few more minutes.

Defrosting with white vinegar

To keep the meat fresh and help it thaw faster, you can use white vinegar. Mix white vinegar into a bowl of water, then soak the meat in it for about 5–10 minutes. White vinegar contains acetic acid, which lowers the freezing point of water, helping the meat thaw more quickly.

You can combine both salt and vinegar to speed up the defrosting process.

Defrosting with sugar water

Prepare warm water at about 40°C (mix boiling water with cold water at a 1:5 ratio). Add 2 tablespoons of sugar and stir well. Put the frozen meat in and soak it in the sugar water. Sugar molecules help melt the ice crystals inside the meat faster. After just 7–10 minutes, your meat will soften.

Defrosting with ginger

Adding ginger to the water when defrosting meat helps the meat retain its natural red color and enhances its flavor.

Prepare a bowl of warm water at 40°C. Crush some ginger and add it to the water. Then, put the meat in to soak. Ginger has warming properties that help the meat thaw quickly.

Note:
When you buy meat, you should divide large cuts into meal-size portions. When needed, only take out one portion to defrost. Never thaw an entire large piece of meat just to cut off a small portion and then refreeze the rest.