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Culinary Arts & Cooking vocabulary · Food Safety & Hygiene

Thaw

Meaning in culinary arts & cooking, with examples

/θɔː/verbCommon term

In culinary arts & cooking, thaw means: To let frozen food become soft and unfrozen before cooking it. Defrost means the same and is just as common.

In Turkish: çözdürmek, buzunu çözmek

How it is used

Safe kitchens thaw food in the fridge, under cold running water or as part of cooking, never on the bench at room temperature. Thawed food is labelled with the date and not refrozen raw.

Example sentences

  1. Move the prawns to the fridge tonight so they thaw slowly for tomorrow.

  2. Never thaw meat on the bench; use the walk-in.

Common collocations

  • thaw in the fridge
  • thawed overnight
  • thaw completely
  • defrost
  • danger zoneThe range of temperatures, roughly 5°C to 60°C (41°F to 140°F), in which harmful bacteria grow fastest. Exact limits differ slightly between countries.
  • walk-inA large refrigerated room that staff can walk into, used to store bulk food. Short for walk-in fridge, cooler or freezer.
  • foodborne illnessAny illness caused by eating food or drink contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins. In everyday English it is usually called food poisoning.
  • blast chillerA refrigerator that cools hot cooked food very quickly with strong cold air, so it passes through the danger zone in a short, controlled time.

More terms: Food Safety & Hygiene

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