19
Defrost
This main oven function defrosts most foods
faster than more conventional methods. It is
particularly suitable for delicate frozen foods
which are to be served cold e.g. cream filled
gateaux, cakes covered with icings or frostings,
cheesecakes, biscuits, scones, etc.
Using defrost
Turn the main oven
temperature control to
the required setting.
Things to note
• Joints of meat up to 2kg/4½lb in weight can
be thawed using the defrost function.
• The oven fan and interior light will come on.
• All joints of meat and poultry must be thawed
thoroughly before cooking.
Hints and tips
• Always cook thoroughly immediately after
thawing.
• Place the frozen food in a single layer where
possible and turn it over half way through the
defrosting process.
• Do not leave food at room temperature once
it is defrosted. Cook raw food immediately
or store cooked food in the fridge, once it
has cooled.
• The actual speed of defrosting is influenced
by room temperature. On warm days
defrosting will be faster than on cooler days.
• Care must always be taken when handling
foods in the home. Always follow the basic
rules of food hygiene to prevent bacterial
growth and cross contamination when
defrosting, preparing, cooking, cooling and
freezing foods.
• It is preferable to thaw fish, meat and poultry
slowly in the fridge. However, this process
can be accelerated by using the defrost
function. Small or thin fish fillets, frozen
peeled prawns, cubed or minced meat, liver,
thin chops, steaks etc., can be thawed in 1 –
2 hours.
• A 1kg/2¼lb oven ready chicken will be
thawed in approximately 5 hours. Remove
the giblets as soon as possible during the
thawing process.