is it ok to defrost home made food in the sink

[sparkleshin]

in their plastic containers in a hot bowl of water? I'm trying to work out whether its necessary to buy a microwave

Most homemade stuff from the freezer I warm up enough in water just enough to free it from the tupperware then straight into a pan on the hob to defrost all the way to piping hot.

thanks

If you're overly cautious, you could get a food thermometer to check meals are getting reheated to a safe temperature. I've always defrosted food out on the side overnight, then in the morning put in the fridge until I'm ready to cook it. As long as you're not leaving food out for long periods before freezing it to begin with I can't see it being an issue.

Never had a microwave, don't really miss it / need it. Safest way to defrost is in the fridge - just take it out 24hrs prior consumption max. When in hurry, I do sometimes put it in hit water but cook it straight away (within a few hours)

No

I defrost stuff on the worktop and then reheat.
I wouldn't defrost in hot water.

Yes.

Defrosting in fridge is safest so warm food on the surface doesn’t have time to build up harmful amounts of bacteria while the core is still defrosting. That’s going to be more of a problem with something large with a high volume to surface area ratio - eg an effectively almost spherical turkey. Less of a problem with a flat tray of food.

Microwave defrosting isn’t great. Microwaves heat liquid faster than solid, so once you’ve got a but of liquid in your tray of food, that continues to heat more rapidly than the remaining ice. So you can get hot spots and cold spots. Hence instructions to stir frequently, and why the defrost setting basically gives short bursts, with intervals for the heat to conduct within the food. Don’t buy a microwave just for defrosting

It's not safe to defrost with warm water, but cold tap water is fine (and I'm sure I read something yonks ago about heat transfer that showed things defrost quicker in cold water than hot).

Don’t defrost in warm or hot water - cold water is the best and safest if overnight in the fridge isn’t an option. X

Huh!

Been defrosting in warm water for years and never had a problem.

You might not have had any problems but it’s not the safest method as the food is at risk of entering the ‘danger zone’ where bacteria can multiply - cold water is safest and often quicker.

I defrost on the side or in rhe fridge and never in my microwave so my vote is don't bother buying one. I use mine only for reheating tea

ive just been putting the tub in the hot water for a few mins to loosen the food from the tub and then putting the block into the pan on the stove