Forget to thaw your meal? Fear not. We have a solution. The USDA says, “Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter, or in hot water and must not be left at room temperature for more than two hours.” Thawing this way leads to the rapid growth of dangerous bacteria in food. Yikes! That leaves us with 3 safe thawing options for a freezer meal or frozen package of meat: 1. Thawing in the refrigerator…which usually takes 1-2 days depending on the size of the package. 2. Using the defrost