A quicker thaw

After the turbo oven
(This Week, 31 October, p 6)
comes the claim, from
Nestlé, of a speedy device for thawing frozen food. Defrosting in a
microwave is slow as the food heats unevenly, so it is best left for hours at
room temperature to thaw completely. Nestlé smears an edible
micro-emulsion over the frozen food, so that it absorbs microwave energy to
create a uniform blanket of heat that thaws the frozen food evenly (WO
98/26672). The micro-emulsion is made by dispersing droplets of water in two
approved food additives: edible triglyceride oil (from coconuts) and a
polysorbate surfactant. Microwave thawing of frozen poultry should now take 10
minutes rather than 30 minutes.