Here are the three best ways to defrost frozen food.

First of all, defrosting food should never get warmer than 40 degrees because of health issues. So leaving that steak or chicken on the counter all day is a bad idea.

1.       In the Refrigerator

This is the safest way to defrost any meat, but remember that it takes 8 hours to defrost each pound of meat, so plan ahead. 

2.       In the Microwave

This is the quickest method, but because the defrost setting on the microwave is actually beginning the cooking process, you need to use the start cooking the food right after it comes out of the microwave. Also this method is notoriously uneven. You may end up with some parts of the meat still frozen while others have started to brown.

3.       In a Bowl of Water

A great alternative to the microwave and quicker than the fridge. But the bag containing the meat must be air tight, and you should change the water at least every 30 minutes or the water finds a temperature equilibrium and then defrosting slows to a snails pace. Plus using this method for more than 2 hours can open the meat up to bacteria growth.