Sure, freezing food that might otherwise go bad is a great way to save money and environmental costs by not wasting perfectly good foods.  But how many times do you need that food, get it out of the freezer, and plop it into the microwave for ten to fifteen minutes for defrosting?

Considering that your microwave uses a lot of energy, you’re actually taking away a lot of the environmental good you did by saving the food in the first place.  But behold, a better, more envirohumanly friendly way to defrost.  It just takes a little extra pre-planning, and you’re set to go!

So, when you decide that tomorrow you’re going to have the chicken breasts you lovingly stored away in your deep freezer last month, get them out of the freezer and put them into the fridge to defrost.  No, it’s unlikely that they will be fully defrosted the next day, but if you plan two days out, you’re likely to have them fully defrosted.

Also, the fact that they are still partially frozen is not so bad, because the microwave will not have to defrost them for quite so long.  Additionally, the cold temperature from the frozen chicken breasts (or other frozen items) is conducted and convected throughout your refrigerator for a (albeit slight) reduction in refrigeration-related electricity use.

No, your refrigerator will not shut down during this time, but it will certainly help to have the frozen item in there helping to keep it cool.  Better that than using your “I need this to happen right now!” microwaving, and you’ll actually (albeit slightly) reduce your electricity consumption, meaning not just saved environment, but some money saved.

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