by Ron James

Created on: November 01, 2010

Would it surprise you to find out that there are idiots posing as experts on the Internet? Nah, I didn't think so. But when one of these idiots starts passing out dangerous information, there is cause for legitimate concern.

While hunting for some Thanksgiving turkey tips, I came across a food website that apparently publishes anything and everything submitted. Okay, on the upside, novice cooks get exposed to lots of different recipes, tips and ideas that way. On the downside, novice cooks get exposed to lots of different recipes, tips and ideas that way. Lacking basic culinary knowledge and experience, bad advice can lead a beginner deep into the weeds in a hurry. Sometimes bad advice results in a bland sauce. Sometimes it results in a trip to the hospital.

Case in point: the author of the article in question advocated thawing a frozen turkey in hot water. I immediately started screaming at my computer. Realizing that my computer wasn't listening, I re-read the line in case I had missed something. I hadn't. Some idiot really was telling people to thaw a frozen turkey in hot water.

Now, maybe that's the way Grandma did it. I've known more than a few people whose mothers or grandmothers taught them to thaw frozen foods in warm water. It's logical, right? You want to melt something frozen, you apply heat. That may have been common practice a hundred years ago, but we've learned an awful lot about food safety and hygiene since those days. Grandma may have had a lot of good ideas about cooking, but dunking a frozen bird in a sink full of hot water just isn't one of them.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service clearly states: “Foods should never be thawed or even stored on the counter, or defrosted in hot water.”

Writing on meat quality and safety, Purdue University Animal Sciences says, “ Never thaw meat in warm water as this will allow bacteria to grow on the warm outer surface.”

And an online article published by the University of Illinois Extension Service regarding thawing meat unambiguously declares, “Never defrost meat in hot water.”

There are dozens of other citations of this type all over the Net, but if I stumbled upon the idiot you can bet somebody else did, too.

The food industry recognizes and recommends three methods of thawing frozen meat. One method does involve water, but it's COLD water. Not hot, not warm, not tepid, lukewarm, or room temperature, but COLD water.

It's important to understand that bacteria

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