The Two-Pan Hack To Defrost Meat

Here’s how it works:

• Take one metal skillet (or other shallow metal pan) and place it upside down on your counter.

• Lay the package of food you want to defrost (meat, poultry, etc.) on top of the first pan.

• Put a second metal pan on top of the food, right side up.

• Give it about an hour or so to thaw.

Tip: This hack works best with meat that’s packaged as flat as possible. Consider portioning the meat into freezer bags and using a rolling pin or an empty wine bottle to compress it.

You can speed things up by putting a bit of weight in the top pan, such as a can of vegetables or a cup or two of water. This is optional, but that added weight helps make sure there’s good contact between the meat and the metal.

Now that you know how it works, you probably want to know why it works. Well, it’s basic science: Heat always moves from a warmer spot to a colder spot. When you cook, your skillets transfer the stove’s heat to your food; this thawing hack is just a slower version of that process, using the room’s ambient temperature as the heat source.

But What About Food Safety?

Quick weeknight meals are important, but food safety is even more important, of course. That’s why the USDA emphasizes overnight thawing in your refrigerator: It ensures your food always stays at a safe temperature. This skillet method falls into the same category as thawing in cold water: Only use it for food you plan to cook right away since it will get warmer than the safe range for storage. Still, it beats microwave thawing (which is uneven and gives you partially cooked spots) and water thawing (which can be messy and risks waterlogging your food).

This method won’t work for all cuts, of course. It’s best for things like thin steaks and chops, or packages of sliced or ground meat — especially if they’ve been packed flat to save thawing time and storage space. For larger items, such as a roast or a whole chicken, you’ll still need to use another defrosting method. They’re simply too large to thaw completely within a food-safe time frame, and their irregular shape means the top pan would just slide off.

Mix, Rest, and Cook

Here’s what to do: For every pound of meat you’re cooking, dissolve 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1 tablespoon of water. Add the solution to the raw ground beef, mixing thoroughly until it’s distributed evenly. Then, allow the meat to rest on the counter for 15 to 30 minutes before cooking. After that, you can simply cook your beef as you normally would.

Why Does Baking Soda Help Brown Ground Beef?

Baking soda is something of a miracle ingredient when it comes to ground beef. It works by raising the pH of the beef’s surface, which alters the charge on the muscle filaments so they repel each other instead of coming together. This repelling action keeps the filaments a very small distance apart and allows them to retain more moisture. (Without this, the muscle filaments collapse and release a large amount of liquid — that’s the runoff you see when you cook ground beef without baking soda.) This method also works on thin slices of meat and is commonly used in Chinese stir-fry recipes.

Beyond browning, baking soda also tenderizes the meat. The same chemical process described above helps the meat stay tender by locking moisture inside. Since the meat isn’t releasing all that liquid into the pan, it won’t dry out and develop a chewy texture.

A Salty Secret

It seems unlikely that there would be something new to learn about the brand in 2025, but a secret trick has recently emerged on the internet: You can sprinkle small amounts of salt directly from the container. Most people tear the paper off the metal spout, open it up, and pour salt into their hands before seasoning their food. But that last step is entirely optional. Every 26-ounce container of Morton table salt has two shaker holes on the flat surface of the metal spout. These holes are visible only after peeling off the top sticker. After doing so, close the spout back into the container. You’ll see the two holes that act as a salt shaker, disseminating small amounts of salt and generally eliminating the need to pour it into your hand first.

When we attempted this hack ourselves, we had to peel back a bit of paper from the underside of the spout, too. Fortunately, the spout itself can be completely removed, making it easier to access and deal with the paper. However, if that’s too much work, or if you want to limit the amount of salt that shakes out, you can simply poke a few holes through the paper with a toothpick or fine-tip scissors.

Tips, Tricks, and Cautions

The secret salt shaker is exclusive to 26-ounce canisters of Morton table salt (not other sizes or containers), so keep that in mind while grocery shopping.

It is also worth noting that many chefs recommend always pouring salt into your hand first, no matter the size of the container. This technique allows for easier control over the amount of salt you add to any given dish. Remember: You can always add more, but you can’t take it out.

Lastly, table salt is not the best kind of salt for every recipe. Some dishes explicitly call for the large, coarse flakes of Kosher salt, which is typically sold in boxes. Using the “wrong” kind of salt isn’t going to ruin a recipe, but it’s a good thing to keep in mind if you’re a serious home cook.