Very often I forget to put meat out of the freezer in time for dinner. When I prepare the food, it is often still frozen inside. Is it unhealthy to do this?
Mary
Patricia Schutte, nutritionist:
It is not necessarily unhealthy if meat is still partly frozen during preparation, as long as you ensure that the inside is well cooked. The only problem is that it takes more time and skill, because the outside shouldn’t burn while the inside is still raw.
Gradual defrosting
You can safely defrost by placing the meat in the refrigerator the night before. Due to the gradual defrosting, bacteria do not stand a chance and the meat remains nice and juicy. Defrost the meat by placing it covered on a plate or in a bowl at the bottom of the refrigerator so that meat juices cannot leak onto other products.
Preparing meat that is partly frozen requires a longer cooking time and is at the expense of quality. During cooking, more vitamins and minerals are lost and it costs more energy. There is also the danger that the outside has been cooked for a long time and has turned brown, while the inside is still raw.
Disease-causing bacteria
It is better not to thaw meat on the counter because at room temperature the possibly present pathogenic bacteria can grow quickly. The same applies to defrosting on the heating system or in hot water.
Once thawed meat, you can use it to prepare a meal. Heating will kill any harmful bacteria present. If you have leftovers from this prepared meal, you can safely freeze it to use later.
Do you also have a question? Then ask one of our experts. Always go to your doctor with urgent questions, the experts are not the right person for that. Nor do they make diagnoses. The other conditions can be found here.
Patricia Schutte has been working as an information officer at the Nutrition Center in The Hague for more than 25 years. She answers questions about healthy, sustainable and safe food.
