Whats the quickist way to thaw a chicken

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teddy147, Jan 1, 10:15pm
wanting to cook it so we can have it cold for dinner, have had it in the mirowave for 20min on defrost but nowhere near ready for cooking. Tia

dezzie, Jan 1, 10:26pm
throw it in the sink with warm water covering it.

uli, Jan 1, 11:58pm
Put it into the sun and see the bacteria double every 15 minutes.... until it turns green and you better throw it out ...

Why don't you cook it from frozen?
I do that all the time ...

hestia, Jan 2, 2:23am
Generally bacteria grow at temperatures from 0°C to around 60°C. Optimal growth temperatures are around 15°C to 45°C.

If you cook a chicken from frozen, then there will still be bacterial growth.

accroul, Jan 2, 2:47am
Wouldn't any 'growth' then be terminated as the temperature of the chicken rises above those 'optimal growth' temperatures? - assuming that poster #1 cooked her chicken @ 150-180deg?Even if the poor chook was completely thawed out, it would still reach 'optimal growth' temperatures in a normal oven. The only difference would be the length of time at which the chook takes to rise above those temperatures.
One reason why I would not cook a chicken (thawed or otherwise) in a slowcooker).
Heck I cooked a tray of drumsticks from frozen in the oven last night & now I'm writing this pointless post!
Uli - I reckon if there were any bacteria on a chook after roasting it at 180 for 1.5? hours, a gas torch waved over(& in) it should do the trick!

accroul, Jan 2, 2:47am
#1 - I hope your chook turned out ok!

accroul, Jan 2, 2:48am
I was lead to understand that cold water worked more effectively.....

eleyne, Jan 2, 3:28am
cold water isn't more effective - but it is pretty effective and as you aren't warming the chicken as much it means less bacterial growth. This is how I thaw a chicken if I want to do it quickly.

The problem with cooking from frozen is that there is a much higher risk that the outside will be thawed and well cooked and the inside not yet up to temperature.

dezzie, Jan 2, 4:43am
not for the "quickest" way as she asked for it wouldn't be I don't think.
I know about bacterial growth etc, however as the OP wanted to cook it so it would be cold for tonights dinner I think she would be keeping a close eye on it and grabbing it out to cook as soon as possible.

hestia, Jan 2, 4:49am
If a chicken was placed in an 150-180 degree oven, it doesn't mean that that is the temperature of the chicken. To make sure that all the bacteria were killed, the internal temperature of the chicken should reach 65°C to 70°C for a few minutes.

If you cook your chicken from frozen, then it doesn't mean that you will get food poisoning, it only increases the risk of food poisoning.

elliehen, Jan 2, 4:54am
When I read a discussion like this it makes me jump for joy to be a vegetarian ;)

teddy147, Jan 2, 10:43pm
it was yummy, will turn the leftovers into club sandwichs today for lunch, hubby is home for 8 days on holiday and he is so damn fussy.

accroul, Jan 3, 12:23am
Lol, then you only have to worry if your potato is cooked on the inside!!!

kevymtnz, Jan 3, 12:50am
frozen = oven 110-130 for 40-45mins - 150-160 for 40-50min
or till cooked pending on how frozen + who cooks at 180 = dry food
slow cooked food is far better

0800xford, Jan 3, 1:06am
chicken gun cannon, myth: busted

ribzuba, Jan 3, 2:07am
you should never cook from frozen, defrost in cold water or in a microwave if it is a large meat item...the safest way is defrosting overnight in a fridge

uli, Jan 3, 5:50am
ribzuba - I always put my chooks frozen into the roasting dish and into an 180 degree C oven. Since over 30 years I have had no problems at all with that approach.

I would not recommend it for a shop bought bird which had giblets in a plastic bag in its belly though. The melting plastic gives it an odd taste.

I do the same with big pork back legs and all sorts of other meat cuts.

noonesgirl, Jan 3, 8:46am
I've always cooked from frozen & we're still alive & no illness.

elliehen, Jan 3, 9:21am
Kumera is my first choice potato - very hard not to cook it well and is low GI ;)

suzanna, Jan 3, 12:25pm
Yep I cook em from frozen too...for years and years and we're still alive plus the added bonus of the 'right' amount of fingers and toes in our offspring...guess it must be okay.

macandrosie, Jan 4, 6:36am
If you have no time to prep your chicken place it in a slow cooker on high. It will take about 8 hours to cook perfectly & safely!

uli, Jan 4, 6:44am
Never mind that it will never be a roast chicken, but a boiled hen ... :)
Guess that is the price for feeling "safe".

firemansgirl, Jan 4, 8:45am
Funny how times change. When I was a kid Mum used to take the chook out of the freezer in the morning and put it (still in its plastic) in the sink. It would be thawed when she got home from work, ready to be cooked and we never got sick eating it. A friend's mother used to hang hers out on the clothesline is one of those plastic mesh bags you can still sometimes buy mandarins/lemons etc in. They never got sick either. What has changed, the chicken?

survivorr, Jan 4, 10:26am
The Health Dept caught a restaurant in Wgtn doing that and they went for a sixer!

NOT a good idea at ALL.You would get quite sick.

kiwibubbles, Jan 5, 12:12am
i just take my meat/poultry out in the morning, leave it in the microwave (out of cat's reach), and when i get home its all defrosted. No one here has had food poisoning yet :)