How to Defrost Sausage

You may feel insecure when defrosting sausages. Bacteria and other pathogens love improperly thawed meat. You can defrost sausages in the refrigerator, in the microwave, or in a bowl of warm water. Using the refrigerator is the easiest but also the longest. Microwaves are fastest, but can burn sausages while cooking. Defrosting in a bowl of warm water is the most inconvenient, but you don’t have to worry about burning the sausage while cooking.

Table of Contents

Defrost in the fridge

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Check to make sure that the temperature in the refrigerator is below 5 degrees Celsius. Temperatures higher than this will create conditions for bacteria to grow and multiply. You can use a thermometer to measure the temperature if the refrigerator does not have a built-in thermometer. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Put the thermometer in the refrigerator and close the door for 5 minutes, then take it out and read the temperature.

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Leave the sausage in its original packaging. You don’t have to take the sausage out of the package in this step, as it actually defrosts the sausage faster and more evenly in the refrigerator. ^{[2] X Research Source}

If you have taken the sausage out of the package, you can cover it with cling film before placing it in the refrigerator.

Place the sausage in a plate and place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. The plate will help keep the refrigerator from getting wet due to the melting of the ice in the sausage. Remember to place sausages in an area separate from ready-to-eat foods. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If frozen pork comes into contact with other foods, you can get sick from eating those foods.

Leave the sausages in the refrigerator until soft to the touch. When the sausages are soft and you don’t feel any ice or ice on them, they are defrosted. Defrosting in the refrigerator is the easiest but also the longest. If you have a large batch of sausages, it may take 24 hours for them to defrost completely. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Once the sausage has defrosted, you can keep it in the refrigerator for 3-5 days before cooking. If you take the sausage out of the refrigerator before this time, you should cook it right away.

Defrosting in the microwave

Place the sausages on a microwave-safe plate. Leave the sausage packaging intact and place on a microwave-safe dish. There are a few ways to check if you don’t know if your plate is microwaveable: ^{[5] X Research Source}

Some dishes have a label on the bottom indicating whether the dish is safe to use in the microwave.
The saucer-shaped icon with wavy lines above it indicates that the dish can be used in the microwave.
The wavy lines symbol also means that the dish is safe to use in the microwave.

Microwave the sausages and turn the oven on to defrost until you can separate them. If your microwave does not have a defrost setting, you should use 50% power. Pause after 3-4 minutes and check with a fork to see if the sausage has come apart. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

If the sausages still stick together, turn the microwave back on and check after about 1 minute.

Put the sausages in the microwave for 2 minutes. Once the sausages have defrosted enough to separate, put them back in the oven for another 2 minutes. Leave a gap between the sausages on the plate so they can defrost completely. Check every 2 minutes until the sausage is defrosted. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Once the sausage has been defrosted, cook it immediately to prevent bacteria from multiplying.

Defrost in a bowl of water

Remove the sausage from the package and place in a bowl. Sausages are often wrapped in protective packaging that you need to peel off to defrost using this method. Choose a bowl large enough to hold all of the sausages you want to defrost and place the sausages in the bowl. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

If you don’t have a bowl big enough to hold all the sausages, you’ll have to use 2 bowls.

Pour slightly lukewarm water into the sausage bowl. The water is usually around 43 degrees Celsius warm. You can use a thermometer to measure the temperature after you have poured the water into the bowl. The temperature is in the range of -5 degrees Celsius and 43 degrees Celsius. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Place the bowl in the sink under slow running water. Turn on the faucet so that the water drips quickly into a small stream. Remember that the water must drip, not overflow, and be cool. This is to ensure that the water in which the meat is soaked has a stable temperature. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Turn on the drip faucet to let the water in the bowl move continuously. This helps prevent bacteria growth while the sausage defrosts in the bowl.

Leave the bowl under running water until the sausage is completely defrosted. The time it takes for sausages to defrost depends on the number and size of sausages in the bowl. If you have 1 or 2 sausages, fully defrosting can take 25 minutes. If it is 6 or more sausages, it may take 1 hour or more. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Do not leave the hot dog bowl under the tap for longer than 4 hours, because then bacteria will start to multiply.

Wash dishes and sinks with bleach. Once the sausage is done defrosting, you need to thoroughly wash the bowl and sink. If you don’t clean the bowl and sink, bacteria or pathogens like salmonella can multiply on these surfaces.

Warning

Never defrost hot dogs or other meat products at room temperature. Bacteria usually grow in meat at room temperature.

Things you need

Defrost in the fridge

Fridge
Thermometer
Plate

Defrosting in the microwave

Microwave oven
The dish can be used in the microwave
Plate

Defrost in a bowl of water

Bowl
Thermometer
Sink
Water tap
Bleach

Steps

Defrost in the fridge

Defrosting in the microwave

Defrost in a bowl of water

Warning

Things you need

Defrost in the fridge

Defrosting in the microwave

Defrost in a bowl of water

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