frozen hearts - help!

[RosalieL]

I have hearts (x16) and plucks (x2) that were frozen. I took them out at about 8:45am and at 2:30pm they still have ice on them! They are needed at 11am tomorrow. Is it too risky leaving them in my sink overnight? I was planning to put them in the fridge when I leave this afternoon... but I am worried they won't be defrosted in time. If I need to defrost in a hurry tomorrow, what should I do? Will hot water in the sink make them too stinky? I've only ever used fresh hearts before this!
Thanks in advance!

[bigmack]

I used to pull hearts from the freezer and stick them in a sink of warm water and they would be ready in an hour ir so .
However , I think they would be fine if you just left them in cold water overnight . . Stick them back in the fridge when you get in , in the morning until needed.

Not had to defrost a pluck but I would definitely stick that in a large tub of water overnight . That’ll take a fair bit of defrosting .

LOL , we once had a pluck and it was stored in the storeroom for three days ,no refrigeration , however , third teacher to use it said it was starting to get a bit on the nose . Not advocating the practice , just saying , they will keep at room temp for a day or two , so don’t panick about an over night in a tub of water

With the hearts , I know its a bit of bother , but I used to seal them in single or pairs in a food saver vacuum sealer .

My predecessor would freeze them as a clump but the number of wasted hearts was incredible . Teachers would invariable ask for eight and then on the day , only use 4 or 5 because some kids were away or refused to do it .
You can refreeze the sealed ones no worries or simply not get so many out if the request is changed with enough time .

The vacuum sealer also protects them from frostbite . Bio teacher said the difference was huge .I used to do hearts, kidneys and eyeballs .

[Merilyn1]

No help to you now, but all the rules about defrosting meat in the fridge is the assumption you are going to eat it. Leaving them on a bench overnight would be fine. Probably doesn't matter if the hearts are still a little firm. Not sure on the pluck. Never had one that was frozen!

Great idea using the vacuum sealer. We have one at home and I know it is the best way to freeze fish.
At work, without the sealer, I wrap things individually in glad wrap, then into a freezer bag. This seems to work pretty well, prevents freezer burn and easy to grab what you need.

[RosalieL]

I will know for next time - thank you! The place I got them from gave them to me already frozen and smooshed together in a big bag. I defrosted them enough to separate into 2 class sets and then refroze so my concern was more the smell than the safety for eating. The last time we did this was how I discovered the fridge wasn't working (it was holding a steady 15deg) so when they did the prac then I was off for a few days (either sick myself or with sick kids) and came back, the prep room stank! I didn't want to deal with that stench again

[Anna Z]

How did they go today ?

[RosalieL]

How did they go today ?

It went well. One teacher didn't want the pluck yet so I'm hoping it's still ok when he decides to look at it. Everything finished defrosting enough in the fridge overnight. I will be asking if I can get them fresh next time I order. Individually packaged sounds much more convenient. I might even invest in a vacuum sealer if there is money left over in the budget at the end of the year!

Oh, but they did have one student projectile vomit before it even started!! A few others were a bit queasy... I saw one almost in tears before the hearts were even in the room!

[RosalieL]

Following on... Some of the kids were quite messy and I wasn't able to wash the lab coats until this morning. The blood stains haven't come out - any suggestions as to how to get them back to white? I generally use the food tech washing machine and then put it through on an empty cycle afterwards but it hasn't done the job this time! I don't really want to put bleach in the machine. Would you take lab coats home? They are clean other than the blood stains.

[Merilyn1]

Soak them in a bucket with nappysan overnight at least, then throw in the machine. What comes out comes out and what doesn't - depends how fussy your school is.
President lab coats sell theirs for a pretty good price and great quality if you need to replace.

[RosalieL]

Soak them in a bucket with nappysan overnight at least, then throw in the machine. What comes out comes out and what doesn't - depends how fussy your school is.
President lab coats sell theirs for a pretty good price and great quality if you need to replace.

These ones are brand new! This was the first "outing" for many of them

[Merilyn1]

That's depressing. I hate it when brand new stuff comes back damaged.

[Anna Z]

Soak them in a bucket with nappysan overnight at least, then throw in the machine. What comes out comes out and what doesn't - depends how fussy your school is.
President lab coats sell theirs for a pretty good price and great quality if you need to replace.

These ones are brand new! This was the first "outing" for many of them

:( go the napisan o/night, then warm water wash with more napisan in the machine