How To Quickly Defrost Steak In A Pinch

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Anyone who has ever cooked a steak has probably felt that moment of terror when they realize they forgot to defrost it. It's one of the biggest mistakes people make with frozen steaks, and defrosting your steak too quickly can mess up the texture or even make it unsafe to eat. But while there are plenty of ways to defrost your steak, there's one method that will have your sirloin ready to sear within half an hour. According to Nick's Kitchen, the key to safely but quickly defrosting steak is cold water.

Here's how: First, grab a sealed, air-tight steak (either vacuum-sealed or Ziplock is fine, just make sure it's properly closed to prevent bacteria) and put it in a big bowl in your sink. Fill it up with cold water (warm water is dangerous as it promotes bacteria growth, yuck), and either swap out the water every five minutes or let it trickle over so you're keeping the water consistently cold. While the exact time depends on the thickness of the steak, you should have a grill-ready cut of beef within 30 minutes.

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If 30 minutes is still too much time, and you need the steak to hit the skillet immediately, well good news: you don't need to thaw your steak at all. This is easier to do if you cut your frozen steak into smaller pieces and add them to a ripping hot pan, although the final quality might be worse than if you let it thaw normally. This is a matter of debate, but if your steak is sous-vide, letting it thaw at all is a common mistake when defrosting.

Another method with a little more science involves defrosting your steak between two pans. One pan holds the steak, the other holds warm water placed on top of the steak; sandwiching the meat between the pans allows the heat to transfer between the warm pan and the cold steak (without letting the steak touch the warm water). Whatever method you use to defrost your steaks — if you're defrosting them at all that is — make sure you know the best ways to cook a perfect steak to make all that thawing time worth it.