You can run a frozen steak under hot water to quickly defrost it.
However, there are some drawbacks. Some steakhouses’ menus include steaks that are only partially defrosted.
Others won’t build flavor in as much time. So, can you run frozen steak under hot water?
Yes! This is an amazing trick that I learned from one of my Japanese friends.
First, you heat the steak to 60 °C for a couple of minutes on each side. Then, you put it under the hot water for about 15 seconds on each side.
Finally, you put it in the oven for 3 minutes at about 200 °C. Tender steak tastes great.
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Can You Run Frozen Steak Under Hot Water?
Steaks are expensive and are often considered an expensive meal to order out. But did you know that you can grill a frozen steak without defrosting it first?
Surprisingly, you can cook a frozen steak in under 10 minutes with this method. Here’s how you do it:
- Remove the frozen steak from the packaging.
- Place the frozen steak in hot water for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the steak from the water and place it on a hot grill for 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
What Running Hot Water Over Frozen Steak Does?
Running hot water over a frozen steak can help speed its thawing process, but it won’t necessarily make it any tastier than it would be if you left it alone on the counter for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
However, the hot water might help prevent some of the juices from escaping as you slice your steaks for cooking, which can make the slicing go more smoothly.
If the water is particularly hot, or if you run the steak under hot running water for a few seconds before placing it in the skillet or on the grill, it can help keep the outside of the meat warm while it’s cooking, which can prevent it from drying out as quickly.
When you eventually put the steak on the grill, however, don’t be surprised if you find that it browns more quickly on the exterior than the inside does, as the outside has already warmed up a bit from the heat of the water and the warmth of the stove burner.
Should You Run Hot Water Over a Frozen Steak?
Running hot water over a frozen steak should work just fine as long as you’re not trying to cook something super rare like bluefin tuna.
Lukewarm water is a superior choice since it will provide a bit more moisture than plain tap water would to your steaks as they thaw.
To defrost a frozen steak, place it in a pan of warm water that is just below the boiling point and then bring the water to a simmer before placing the steak in.
This method uses water’s capacity to behave as both a liquid and a gas to provide a bit of gentle heat to the meat as the water slowly warms to room temperature.
Fill your sink basin or a large pot with lukewarm water.
Then, turn on the faucet to the lowest setting so the water is just barely trickling into the sink or pot, and then place the steaks in the water.
How Long You’d Need to Run Hot Water Over a Steak to Thaw It?
A thin cut of steak, such as an inside skirt or top sirloin, might take around five minutes to fully thaw in hot water after it’s removed from the freezer.
A larger steak, such as a porterhouse or a T-bone, could take around 10 minutes or more to fully thaw in hot water after it’s removed from the freezer.
Larger bone-in steak cuts, such as porterhouse, ribeye, and T-bone, will take a bit longer to thaw than their boneless counterparts.
However, the flesh near the filet’s edges may not reach a safe temperature to eat until quite a bit longer after the center has thawed.
What You Should Do After the Steak Has Thawed?
When you defrost a frozen steak in warm water, it will already be partially cooked in the center by the time it reaches room temperature.
While the grill is heating up, take the thawed out steaks out of the water and pat them dry with a paper towel before placing them on the grates for grilling.
If you reheated the steak, the center may not be fully cooked anymore and might be undercooked.
However, it will almost certainly suffer from freezer burn.
Also Read: How Long Does a Full Traeger Hopper Last?
Conclusion
Running a frozen steak under hot water can be an effective way to cook it.
However, this method of cooking steak does have some disadvantages. First, running a frozen steak under hot water causes the meat to lose some of its juices and become tough.
However, this loss of juice can be minimized by cooking the steak at low temperatures and using a low heat setting on the stovetop. Furthermore, running a frozen steak under hot water can cause the steak to dry out and become tough.
This can be avoided by cooking the steak at low temperatures, using low heat settings, and using less liquid when cooking the steak. However, this may result in a dry steak.
Overall, running frozen steak under hot water is an effective method of cooking steak, but it comes with some disadvantages.
