Why are people saying it's bad to thaw meat with warm water or in the microwave oven?

Answer by  srainne (2597)

Well, in my experience, thawing meat in the microwave oven has always resulted in tough meat. Even with the defrost setting, I have never had any luck with that process. As far as thawing with warm water; the meat warms to an unsafe room temperatur for a long amount of time while other portions are still thawing. Meat spoils.

Answer by  Kate2835 (12)

It's bad to thaw meat with warm water because this method can lead to the meat becoming partially cooked if the water is too hot resulting is a more flavorless meat that is ripe for bacterial growth. Thawing meat in a microwave oven is bad because it can very easily lead to partially cooked meat due to varied microwave temperatures.

Answer by  Kurt (4579)

When you defrost meat with hot water, the common wisdom is that it could cause salmonella. This may not be factual, but a lot of people believe it. It is acceptable to thaw meat with cold water.

Answer by  crabfoot (253)

It is probably OK, if you cook it just after thawing. The organisms that give you food poisoning grow best between room temperatures and a little above blood temperatures. If you thaw meat anywhere between these temperatures, you chance letting them multiply. It is best to let meat thaw in the fridge, although it usually takes 24hours or more.