Food - Drink
Can Cooking Pork Straight From The Freezer Make You Sick?
By CATHERINE RICKMAN
Thawing meat takes a long time, which can be frustrating and lead to people making risky defrosting mistakes like leaving the meat on the counter or in hot water. The safest option is to thaw meat in the refrigerator overnight; luckily, there is one method that allows pork to be cooked directly from the freezer.
As long as you’re using the right methods, frozen pork can be cooked on the stovetop, grill, or in the oven without posing a health risk. Your meat should be cooked at 325 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit until it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees, but it will take between 1.5 times to 2 times as long to cook as thawed pork.
You cannot cook frozen meat in a slow cooker because it runs the risk of staying in the danger zone for meat, which the USDA considers to be between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words, you want to keep your meat really cold or really hot to avoid exposing it to bacteria like E. coli or salmonella.