This Is When You Should Be Using Your Oven's Defrost Setting

A good oven is the heart of every kitchen. Whether you're baking a comforting shepherd's pie, slow-roasting a tender pot roast, or preparing crispy, crunchy baked potatoes sprinkled with a generous amount of sesame seeds, the right oven can make a massive difference to the final dish. But what many don't realize is that modern ovens, specifically electric fan ovens, are far more versatile than they seem. Did you know they come with a convenient defrost mode? Just look for the snowflake icon on your oven. 

Now, in contrast to a normal cooking cycle, the defrost mode doesn't heat the oven. Rather, it works by gently circulating unheated air around the oven cavity to thaw frozen foods evenly, and often more quickly than simply leaving them on the kitchen counter. It can actually cut thawing time by up to 50%.

Because there is no heat involved, this setting is best suited to frozen foods that can safely be left at room temperature. Bread, pastries, leftover hot dog buns and rolls, and cakes without cream cheese or dairy fillings can all thaw gently in this oven mode. With that in mind, the defrost mode isn't the right choice for every type of frozen food.

If you're ready to give your oven's defrost setting a try, it's essential to know which frozen foods don't belong there. Some foods are actually meant to be cooked straight out of the freezer. Frozen pizzas, for example, should never go into the oven's defrost setting. Defrosting a frozen pizza before baking increases the risk of bacterial growth, and it could also lead to moisture absorption. The pizza crust will turn soggy and unappetizing. Meanwhile, foods like TV dinners or any of these popular frozen meal brands should also never be thawed in the oven. It can affect both the food's quality and its texture. The same applies for fries, chicken nuggets, and fish sticks, as it will cause them to soak up extra oil as they cook.

Raw meat and seafood require even more caution. While certain fan oven manufacturers may claim the defrost setting can be used in both cases, the U.S. Department of Agriculture advises against thawing perishable foods at room temperature. In fact, raw meat, poultry, and seafood should not remain at room temperature for more than two hours (or one hour above 90 degrees Fahrenheit). Otherwise, you'd expose them for too long to the Danger Zone temperature range that bacteria thrive in. In some cases, small, thin, and boneless meat cuts could thaw this way quickly enough, but larger ones, such as whole chickens, roasts, bone-in cuts, and ground meat, take much longer. To be on the safe side, though, skip the defrost mode here. There are many other reasonable ways to defrost raw meat.