What Is A Defrosting Tray? How Does It Work?

What is a defrosting tray? A defrosting tray has been around for a while now and they are meant to help meat defrost faster than the usual long process of thawing.

A defrosting tray comes in really handy on days you forget to take food out of the freezer and if that’s a common occurrence then a defrosting tray can be used in saving the day. However, there are questions on if getting a defrosting tray is really necessary and if they actually work.

A defrosting tray happens to be one of the sought out kitchen appliances these days and in some places, it is referred to as dethawing tray. Although this has been around for a while now, people are still sceptical about using it.

When it comes to defrosting tray, there is really no magic attached to it. But understanding what it is and how it works can help you decide if you need one or not.

What Is A Defrosting Tray?

A defrosting tray as the name implies is a tray or kitchen appliance designed to defrost a slice of frozen meat fast. There is no miracle or magic about how defrosting tray thaws your steak, the tray is made of metal that conducts heat therefore it can heat up and cool down really fast. A defrosting tray will have the job of melting ice cubes in half the second it takes to set it on your kitchen counter.

To use a defrosting tray to thaw your frozen food, you just need to have it placed on the tray and the tray conducts the room temperature air from the surface of the meat placed on the tray and migrate it onto the tray and your food gets warmer as a result.

How Does A Defrosting Tray Work?

To properly understand what a defrosting tray is, you need to understand how it works. A defrosting tray is made with a material that has a high ability to conduct heat and that’s how your steak gets thawed that fast. It adjusts really fast to the heat temperature in the room which makes it a much-prefered option to cast iron skillet.

A defrosting tray is a good conductor of heat and it doesn’t stay hot after it’s done defrosting, it heats up just as fast as it cools down. Although a dense food such as steak might take longer to defrost.

There are various types of defrosting trays in the market, but each work practically the same way. Although most brands will claim they produce faster-defrosting trays. However, it will conveniently warm up frozen foods such as meat, steak and peas without burning or melting them. All that gets melted is the ice.

Do the aluminium defrosting trays work?

Defrosting trays made of aluminium material is a good heat conductor which makes it work really fast to defrost food. One way to make sure your frozen food gets thawed faster on an aluminium defrosting tray is to run hot water on it first before placing the frozen food on it.

Are defrosting trays safe?

Defrosting trays can’t be considered 100% safe although it’s a lot better than thawing on the counter. Defrosting trays does conduct heat more evenly but as it begins to thaw and get warmer, bacteria can get access to it. The safest way to thaw meat is in the refrigerator, cold water or microwave.

Your food also gets thawed uniformly, hence you don’t have to worry about half of the meat staying frozen. Method of thawing that can leave your food unsafe to eat include thawing in garage, car, dishwasher or plastic garage. Defrosting on the kitchen counter can be unsafe as well.

Advantages Of Using A Defrosting Tray

Getting a defrosting tray can really make up for days you forget to grab the meat from the freezer. Defrosting tray is one kitchen appliance that can come in really handy and here are some of the advantages of investing in it.

  • Defrosting tray is small and easy to use
  • It helps save the defrosting time and it doesn’t create messy liquid
  • You can defrost small foods such as prawns, burgers, sausages faster
  • No use of chemical or electricity as opposed to microwave ovens
  • Safe defrosting
  • Defrosting tray is very easy to store

In Conclusion

Defrosting trays happen to be a kitchen tool worth investing in. This appliance might be new in the market, but find to help speed up the tedious job of thawing. Thawing food on this tray is also faster and safer compared to thawing on the kitchen counter.

However to make sure you are getting a run for your money, the above are things you should know about a defrosting tray before buying.

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