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Twin_Spoons t1_iuar1e1 wrote

You're mostly right with some technicalities:

  1. If the item in question was not frozen all the way through after one day in the freezer, it would indeed take longer to thaw if left there for a week instead

  2. Extended freezing, especially in a home freezer, dehydrates food. This could cause it to take longer to thaw, depending on the circumstances of the thawing.

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Unicorn187 t1_iuar1zq wrote

Only if it's something huge and doesn't fully freeze.

Frozen is frozen. If they are at the same temperature throughout and the same weight and mass they will that the same whether frozen for 24 hours, 24 days, or 24 years.

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tomalator t1_iuarh9p wrote

Assuming it has been in the freezer long enough to completely freeze, it shouldn't make a difference. If I have 2 ice cube trays and I put one in the freezer for an hour and the other in front day, the ones that were in there for an hour haven't completely frozen yet, and will therefore melt faster, but if I instead compare ice cubes that were in the freezer for a day and a week, both had enough time to completely freeze and there shouldn't be a difference.

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Harmonic_Flatulence t1_iuarqf1 wrote

The only way the day-frozen vs week-frozen would thaw faster is if the day-frozen wasn't actually frozen all the way through yet (very likely). If two identical chunks of meat were frozen all the way through, they would thaw at the same speed.

If meat has been frozen for a looooong time (and freezer burned), it would actually thaw faster, because is has less frozen moisture in it after the freezer burn has dehydrated it.

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Trumpet1956 t1_iuarsee wrote

You are correct. Your brother's mistake is that he thinks cold is somehow stored up, and that freezing it longer adds to the amount of cold in the meat.

But once the temperature reaches equilibrium with the freezer, it is the same whether it's in for a day or a week or a year.

Coldness is a subjective quality for something that has less heat than something else. There is no cold substance.

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explainlikeimfive-ModTeam t1_iuavwp9 wrote

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