There are three safe ways to thaw frozen foods straight out of the freezer: you can put them in the fridge, immerse them in cold water, or use the defrost setting in the microwave. Using the microwave is easily the fastest and most convenient of those options. However, it can also end up starting the cooking process before you’re even ready to start cooking. The Kayuso Quick Defrosting Box offers a thawing option that’s just as fast as microwaves without the potential downsides.
Designed to safely thaw all types of frozen foods, the device can defrost food faster than using the fridge or immersing in water, all without the risk of losing any nutrients or starting bacterial growth. Is it faster than microwaves? Not really. However, it also won’t start cooking your meats, which is the big issue with microwave thawing.
The Kayuso Quick Defrosting Box consists of a tray with a removable cover that has a large handle on top. The handle actually houses the electronic components that include a small fan, a UV light, a rechargeable battery, and a control panel that you can use to actively thaw the food sitting inside the tray. So how does it all work? Once you close the lid and set it to start thawing, it activates the fan, which, basically, draws room-temperature air inside the box.
According to the outfit, the fan creates a “plasma air field” that circulates inside the container and, somehow, reduces temperature differences inside the food to promote even melting of the ice crystals. This even melting is supposed to help preserve the food’s original structure, texture, and flavor, ensuing the thawing process has minimal effect on the food’s overall quality. Worried about the food developing bacteria if you leave it in a little longer after it’s already thawed out? Not a problem, as the built-in UV lamp performs sterilization functions the whole time, killing any bacteria that grows on the surface of the food.
The Kayuso Defrosting Box has a 4.2 liter capacity, so you can thaw a big amount of food in one go. Do note, the bigger the frozen food items, the longer they will take to thaw, so adjust your expectations accordingly. According to the outfit, it can thaw a 3.5oz steak in around 10 minutes, a 10.6oz fish in 20 minutes, and a 14oz chicken in around 25 minutes, so it should defrost food at a pretty decent pace. There’s no flipping or other extra actions needed,, either – the entire food will thaw while simply sitting inside the container.
The onboard battery is rated at two hours of continuous operation, so you can keep food thawing inside for quite a bit of time, with a full recharge taking a similar two hours of plugging in. Other features include an aluminum alloy thawing tray, a drainage tank where water can flow in, and a see-thru lid that lets you see how thawed the food is at any time. You can set how long the device can run, by the way, so you can just punch in the time and leave to do something else, then come back to find ready-to-cook food later in the day.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Kayuso Quick Defrosting Box. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at $69.