When thawing meat in cold water, why must one change the water regularly? When thawing meat in cold water, why must one change the water regularly? I've heard two contradictory explanations:


The water warms to match room temperature, which is unsafe.
The water cools to match the meat, and no longer thaws it efficiently.


Which is true? Or is it something else entirely?
The second one.

If you tried it, you'd see ... it becomes ice water