In this Wednesday's Curious Cook column I write about using a pot of hot water to thaw steaks, chicken breasts, and fish in minutes, rather than the few hours required in cold water or the many hours in a refrigerator. According to recent research funded by the USDA, rapid thawing can minimize the freeze-thaw damage to meat tissues, and taste panels couldn't tell the difference between meats that had been cooked after gradual or quick thawing.
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Eastridge, J.S. and B.C. Bowker. Effect of rapid thawing on the meat quality attributes of USDA Select beef strip loin steaks. Journal of Food Science 2011, 76: S156-S162.
doi 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.02037.x
Shrestha, S. et al., Sensory quality and food safety of boneless chicken breast portions thawed rapidly by submersion in hot water. Food Control 2009, 20: 706-08.
doi 10.1016/j.foodcont.2008.09.011
