Defrosting food by running it under hot water or leaving it out on the counter is not recommended by the USDA, which advocates three safe methods.

The first way to defrost food is in the refrigerator. This requires forethought and patience, but it means that your food will defrost slowly (it usually takes about 24 hours depending on the size) and that it is safe to cook it within a few days. It also doesn't require any extra effort or energy.

Another safe defrosting method that's a bit quicker than the refrigerator method is to soak the frozen food in cold water. To defrost food in this way, make sure it's sealed in a leak-proof plastic bag. Submerge the bag in cold water and change the water every 30 minutes until defrosted. Another method is to defrost food under a stream of running cold water. Both methods obviously waste quite a bit of water.

If you have a microwave, you already know that it is a quick defrosting tool. But be sure to cook the food you've defrosted promptly since it may have partially cooked during the defrosting process and can produce unwanted bacteria if left sitting around.

In all cases, be sure to cook defrosted food thoroughly if you plan to refreeze it.