How To Defrost Chicken Quickly & Safely

This might be a no-brainer for most people, but I didn't know about this method until my Mother-In-law introduced me to it a couple years ago. My Mom always used the countertop method of thawing meat, but it may not be the safest method available and it is also not quite as quick as the method I will describe below.

 

To thaw chicken safely and quickly follow the steps below:

1. Run a sink full of cold water - you need to use cold water here to avoid potential bacteria growth associated with warm/ hot water. Place chicken in sink.
2. Change water every 30 minutes and replace with fresh cold water until chicken is completely thawed.

Some important notes:

• 1 lb of chicken will defrost in 1-2 hours using this method
• Don't use the sink for any other purpose during this time - this will help avoid contamination
• When chicken is done thawing rinse your sink out thoroughly with hot water and a good multi-purpose cleaner to kill any bacteria that may have accumulated
• This method works for any type of frozen meat - defrost times may vary depending on type and amount of meat

 

This is a pretty straightforward and efficient option for thawing frozen meat. A lot of people use their microwaves to thaw meat when they're in a hurry, but doing so can actually be dangerous as heating the meat during the defrost process gives bacteria a chance to grow and accumulate. As a result I would encourage you to use this method of thawing meat quickly and safely!

How do you usually defrost your frozen meat? What do you do to ensure you do it safely?

Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter & Oreo Pie

Yeah, thats right, I put Oreos and Reese's in the same delicious frozen dessert! Annndddd it was flippin amazing! I found this recipe over at Baker's Royale, made a couple slight changes and BAM - this was the grande finale to our Super Bowl party. It was a total hit. This dessert is one of the easiest and quickest desserts you'll ever make. You can put it together in under 1/2 an hour (that includes time to bake the crust) and then all you have to do it let it set up in the freezer for a couple of hours and you're set with a wayyyyyy better than storebought dessert to serve to your hungry peeps!

 You may have noticed that my posts have been a little unhealthy this week... so, with the most ridiculous statement I've made in a while, I'll tell you, you could lighten this up by using low fat cool whip instead of the whipping cream. LOL, but chances are if you're already piling in the Oreos, peanut butter, and the Reese's PB cups, whats a few more grams of fat with the addition of whipping cream?! And it honestly tastes way better and you're not eating edible oil products! Woot!

Did you notice I tried to give my pictures a little valentines day theme with the heart shaped chocolates?! Did you also notice that the hearts don't match this pie one little bit?! Well, I tried... I am working on this food styling thing, sooooo I'm not perfect, but at least I'm putting in some effort right?!

Alright, recipe time!

Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter & Oreo Pie
Recipe adapted from Baker's Royale

Ingredients:

• 30 double stuff oreo cookies
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped

Method:

1. For the crust: Place 24 of the oreos in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until cookies are finely crumbled. Pour in the melted butter and mix until well combined. Press into 9" springform pan to form crust. Bake 350F 7-10 minutes.
2. Place peanut butter, icing sugar and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until melted and smooth (stir carefully, because peanut butter will burn easily). Set mixture aside for 5-10 minutes to cool to room temperature. While mixture is cooling, whip the 2 1/2 cups of whipping cream. Then gently fold the peanut butter mixture into the whipped cream.
3. Chop up the remaining 6 oreos and toss with the chopped Reese's. Gently fold through the peanut butter, whipped cream mixture. Pour mixture into oreo crust and freeze for 3 hours. Garnish with caramel and white chocolate drizzle.

Sound good? This has got me wanting more... the last quarter of the pie is in my freezer calling out to me. Guess you know where I'm headed after I get this post up right? Better go whip up your own to indulge in! Catch ya later.

This post has been linked up with Fusion Fridays over at Jennifer Cooks! Head on over to check out Jennifer's favorite submissions from last week and to check out what new goodies fellow bloggers are deaming up this week.

This post has also been linked up with Mouth Watering Mondays over at the Sweet Spot! Head over there ASAP to check out all the delicious creations fellow bloggers have come up with this week. :)

Happy Baking my Friends!