The Best Defrosting Tray Will Help Defrost Frozen Food Faster and Safely
Whether you buy your meat frozen or have access to a freezer in your home, most people prefer to defrost their meat before cooking. Most meat can be cooked from frozen, but there are added steps, cooking time, and risks. Ideally, you should place your frozen meat in the fridge the day before you plan on cooking to safely defrost, but what carnivore among us has not forgotten to get the chicken out of the freezer? If you need to defrost meat or other frozen food in a hurry, we recommend a defrosting tray.
If you need to defrost food in a hurry and don’t have time for it to defrost in the fridge, there are three options. You can microwave the item, place it in ice-cold water, or use a defrosting board. When it comes to meat, a defrosting board is ideal
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Using the microwave requires the meat to be cooked immediately to avoid reaching a dangerous temperature where bacteria begin to form. The same goes for using cold water. Meat should be cooked immediately once it has thawed, and the cold water should be changed every 30 minutes while defrosting. With a defrosting board, meat should also be cooked soon after it has thawed.
How do defrosting trays work?
A defrosting tray or defrosting board is made from aluminum, which is excellent at conducting heat. The defrosting tray will absorb the cold temperature of the food item placed on it while conducting the room temperature air into the food, thus helping to speed up the thawing process.
Okay, but do defrosting trays work?
Meat defrosting trays can help to speed up the defrosting process compared to simply placing meat on a plate. As with any method of defrosting meat quickly, caution should still be taken to ensure the meat is safe to consume.
When using a defrosting tray for meat, try to use thin cuts. The longer the defrosting time, the more chance bacteria have to multiply, so using thinner cuts helps speed up the defrosting process.
If you’re looking for a way to shorten your defrosting time, check out our top picks for the best meat defrosting tray.
1. Yundoog Defrosting Tray
BEST OVERALL
The hugely popular meat defrosting tray from Yundoog uses aluminum to help speed up the defrosting process for meat. The large defrosting board measures 13.65″L x 7.8″W x 0.08″H, with ample room to defrost multiple pieces and cuts of meat at once. We like that the Yundoog includes silicone corners to keep the defrosting board in place, as well as a cord to hang the tray when not in use and a sponge for cleaning.
Yundoog Defrosting Tray
Price: $20.98 (orig. $24.99) 16% OFF
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2. Evelots Meat Thawing Tray for Frozen Meat
RUNNER UP
Evelots uses high-grade Aluminum to create their two-pack of defrosting trays, which include a non-stick, food-grade silicone coating. Both trays measure 14″L x 8.1″W x 0.6″H and are large enough to defrost multiple pieces of meat at once while still being small enough to easily store between uses. The handwash-only trays are simple to clean with soap and water.
Evelots Meat Thawing Tray for Frozen Meat
3. Blazin’ Thaw Family Size Defrosting Tray
BEST OVERSIZED TRAY
Defrost large pieces of meat at once with the oversized defrosting tray from Blazin’ Thaw. The defrosting board measures 16″L x 8″W x 0.23″H, making it the largest option on our list. Wide draining channels provide ample room for juices. We also like that the tray has removable silicone edges that help avoid spillage. The entire tray is safe for the dishwasher, making cleanup simple.
Blazin’ Thaw Family Size Defrosting Tray
4. Cuisinart BBQ Defrosting Tray
BEST BRAND NAME
If you’re looking for a brand-name defrosting tray, the kitchen favorite brand Cuisinart has its own affordable option. The standard-size tray measures 3.8″L x 7.72″W x 0.52″H and is made with highly conductive and food-sale aluminum. The sleek tray is simple to store and can be hand washed between uses.
Cuisinart BBQ Defrosting Tray
Price: $22.86 (orig. $24.38) 6% OFF
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5. Kitchen Keen Defrosting Tray
INCLUDES DRIP TRAY
Whenever you’re dealing with meat, keeping your food and kitchen sanitary is of the utmost importance. That’s why we like the Kitchen Keen defrosting tray, which comes with a convenient drip tray. The defrosting tray, which measures 13.98″L x 8.07″W x 0.12″H, is made with food-grade aluminum and works with the drip tray underneath to defrost food while also containing any juice runoff.
Kitchen Keen Defrosting Tray
6. GEMITTO 2-in-1 Defrosting Tray/Cutting Board
BEST DUO
The GEMITTO 2-in-1 Defrosting Tray/Cutting Board is a double-sided kitchen tool that works as a defrosting tray on one side and a cutting board on the other. Grooves on both sides of the tray help to collect water and juices, keeping your workstation sanitary. Each side is made of food-grade materials, with the cutting board featuring high-quality PP and the defrosting board made from space aluminum. We also like that the board has a built-in handle for easy gripping and comes with three additional cutting boards that are labeled for food.
GEMITTO 2 in 1 Defrosting Tray/Cutting Board
7. Linoroso Cutting Boards for Kitchen with Defrosting Tray
DISHWASHER SAFE
Outfit your kitchen with everything you need to defrost and prep food using this convenient package from Linoroso. The set includes a large and small plastic cutting board and a small defrosting tray measuring 9.5″ x 5.9″ x 0.15″. The defrosting board includes a built-in drip tray and all three boards are safe for the dishwasher.
Linoroso Cutting Boards for Kitchen with Defrosting Tray
8. Thaw Claw
BEST ALTERNATIVE
If you don’t want to stray from your tried and true water defrost methods, check out the Thaw Claw. The Thaw Claw features a strong suction cup that attaches to the side of the sink and helps keep meat from floating to the surface while defrosting. The Thaw Claw helps defrost meat seven times faster in water and eliminates users trying to keep the meat in water with a heavy bowl or other objects.
Thaw Claw
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