How to Thaw Ham
Whether you are purchasing large cuts of meat or have leftovers, it is important to know how to freeze ham and thaw it properly for optimal results.
There are three safe ways to thaw ham, refrigerator, cold water, and microwave. Notice that none of them involve leaving ham out at room temperature.
Kitchen Essentials
- Garlic Twist
- Food Wrapper
- Cookware
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Materials
- Whole Ham
- Ham Slices
- Ham Steak
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Instructions
The refrigerator.
- The refrigerator is the best way of thawing any kind of meat because it is the safest method in terms of food safety. Plan on 4 to 6 hours per pound. Therefore, if you have a 5 pound ham, plan on it taking a full day to thaw in the refrigerator.
Cold water.
- This method is faster than the refrigerator thawing method. Make sure that the ham it is an airtight leak-proof package and soak it in cold water. Change out the water every 30 minutes. Using this method cuts the thaw time down to approximately 30 minutes per pound, so now that 5 pound ham can be thawed in about 3 to 4 hours. You can use a bowl of cold water to thaw smaller amounts or a large container of cold water for whole hams.
Microwave method.
- Lastly, you can use the microwave to thaw the frozen ham. Often, microwaves have an automatic setting for thawing meat. Set your microwave on defrosting mode and let it take the guesswork out of microwave thawing. If your microwave does not do this, run on 50 percent pour and 10 minute increments checking to see if the meat is thawed.
Notes
For food safety, once the ham is thawed using cold water or microwave it should be cooked right away.