Everyone gets caught up in the chaos of the week and forgets to take something out for dinner– don’t worry about it! The problem lies when you try to speed up the defrosting process by heating the meat or dipping it in warm water. There is a reason they aren’t allowed to do this in restaurants and it shouldn’t be allowed in your home either. Below, we outline THREE safe defrosting methods that you can implement in your home.

Refrigerator Thawing
This method is going to be the most time consuming, so you need to plan ahead. If you’re going to do a Taco Tuesday with two pounds of chopped meat, you’ll want to put the meat in the fridge Monday around dinner time. With something like chopped meat, you can only keep it in the fridge for a day or two before cooking. Other cuts of red meat like steak or pork can stay thawing in the refrigerator for up to FIVE days.  

Cold Water Thawing
While this method might be faster than refrigerator thawing, it also requires more attention. You should seal the meat in a Ziploc bag and then wrap it again to make sure no juices leak out. If the bacteria from the meat seeps into the water, you could have potential food poisoning hazards.

Microwave Thawing
The key to microwave thawing is cooking the food immediately after you defrost it. If you neglect to do this, the meat could reach ‘danger zone’ temperatures and start to become infected. Follow the defrosting instructions on your microwave and make sure you don’t put the meat in too long or it will start to cook.

At Speedy Refrigerator Service, we’re in charge of making sure your freezer freezes and your refrigerator cools. If they seem to be malfunctioning, it is best to get it checked out before they shut down completely and you’re left shoveling food into a cooler. If you give us a call today, we could be at your home in ONE hour or less if you live in the Nassau County area.

To schedule service, call 866-782-9376 or click around on our website!

The countdown is almost at it’s end and this last week is very stressful, especially for the hosts of the holiday party. You want to make sure the meal is set and that starts with a well prepared refrigerator. You need to have enough room for all of your food and also make it easily accessible so you aren’t scrambling during crunch time. These organization tips can help:

Shop Right
This is the most important tip of all. With Christmas and Hanukkah only a few days away, the grocery list is starting to pile up and you’re going to need room to store everything. The best thing you can do is cook this week. Refrain from eating out and use up all of your daily groceries to save room for the holiday items. If you go into holiday week with a stacked refrigerator, you will create a log jam that you may never recover from.

Get Creative
There are some cool tips on the internet to help save room in the refrigerator but we want to share one of our favorites. If you have a wire shelf, place a binder clip in the middle with the flat side facing down. Once it is secure, you can stack bottles up against it so you don’t have to take up a whole shelf with adult beverages. When the ground space is all taken up, this tip can help you stack!

Save Extra Room
You have to think long term when it comes to holiday refrigerator organization. The biggest mistake you can make is neglecting the leftover phase of the holiday season because well, that is the best part! Try to save a crisper drawer or even a shelf if can and designate it for leftovers. That way once the meal is done, you can immediately start wrapping, packing and stacking.  

Prepare For The Worst
Everyone is moving in fast forward this week and this leaves you vulnerable to mistakes. Maybe you forgot to wrap up the soup or screw the lid on the juice and now you have a sticky mess inside your fridge. To simplify the clean up, place down plastic mats on all of your shelves so all you have to do is remove them and replace when a spill occurs.

For over 75 years, Speedy Refrigerator Service has been providing the NYC and Long Island areas with exceptional refrigerator service. We take care of all makes and models and with our warehouse on wheels, we can be over in ONE hour or less. If we don’t hear from you before the then, we wish you and your family a very happy holiday!

To schedule emergency service, call 866-782-9376 or click around on our website.  

Are you a snowbird or just someone who travels a lot during the holiday season? If so, it might be a good idea to disassemble your refrigerator while you’re away. Don’t worry, the New York summer and your well maintained refrigerator will be waiting for you when you get home! Here is a step by step explanation of how to break down your refrigerator for an extended vacation:

Step 1: If your refrigerator has an ice maker, that should be the first thing you shut off. Then, pull the refrigerator away from the wall and locate your water valve and turn it to the off position.

Step 2: This is when you should start removing all of the food from your unit. Try and plan out your grocery shopping so there isn’t a ton of wasted food at this time. Once you have done this, you can go ahead and unplug your refrigerator.

Step 3: If you have a water dispenser, you’ll need to empty the reservoir to preserve it for your return. It should be behind your produce drawers and you can go ahead and remove it.

Step 4: Take some soap and water and gently clean the inside of your unit. Be sure to remove all drawers, shelves and anything else you can to give them the best clean possible. If it is dirty now, the smell will be unbearable when you return home.

Step 5: Take your most trusted box of baking soda and place it on a shelf. Take another box and leave that in your now empty freezer. You should also leave your doors open to allow for ventilation and air flow through your refrigerator.

When you get back to your home in New York, there might be some things you need tightened up. Well, lucky for you Speedy Refrigerator Service is the premiere refrigerator repair company in the area. We have been in business for over 75 years and we aren’t stopping anytime soon.  

To schedule service, call 866-782-9376 or click around on our website!