How to Thaw Frozen Fruit
Freezing is a convenient and effective way to preserve fruit, outside of canning or dehydrating. Food that is frozen is preserved in the state it was in during the freezing process, but can easily become a mushy mess if thawed improperly or can even become covered in bacteria. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation however, there are a couple of ways to thaw your fruit properly and safely to avoid unexpected texture results or bacteria. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Thawing in the Refrigerator
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1
Take only the amount of fruit you need to thaw from the freezer. Fruit should not be refrozen, so any leftover thawed fruit will go to waste if not used.
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2
Place the fruit in the refrigerator in a bowl or on a plate to avoid dripping.
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3
Leave the fruit in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours per pound, turning the package or the fruit itself every hour for an even thaw.
Thawing Under Cool Water
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4
Place the amount of fruit you need in a sealed food storage bag or leave it in the unopened package if using the entire package.
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5
Place the bag in a clean sink under cold running water. You do not need to have the water on full stream, just leave it on enough to trickle over the bag.
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6
Leave the fruit under the water for about an hour and turn the bag over every 10 minutes.
Microwave Thawing
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7
Place your fruit in a sealed food bag or leave it in the original unopened package.
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8
Put the bag in a bowl or plate to prevent a mess in your microwave if there are slight holes or tears in the bag that go unnoticed.
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9
Set the microwave to the lowest power setting for one minute. Check the package and turn the bag every 10 seconds. Remove the fruit when you squeeze a piece of it through the bag and it is soft to the touch.
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References
- Photo Credit frozen strawberries image by João Freitas from Fotolia.com
