I use my aluminium pans (or cast iron) the same way you use your granite counter-top. They also help contain any potential spills.

Should probably clarify that when defrosting meat in water, you want to keep it in its plastic wrapping. (Right? I assume you're not directly wetting the raw meat...?)

I'm *always* forgetting to defrost butter before I want to bake. My trick is to cut up the frozen stick into smaller pieces, then microwave in 10-second bursts on VERY low setting. If you do it carefully and gradually, you can soften the butter without melting.

You can *freeze* butter? Mind. Blown.

I use the water trick quite frequently, and yeah, I always leave the meat in its wrapper.

I thought I was the only one who used the pre-heated oven to soften my butter. Put the butter in an oven-safe container (glass or ceramic) on top of the oven and voila no messy butter to clean up.

A trick I've learned from chefs is to submerge wrapped meat in a big bowl of water - the surface area of the water and bowl allows the cold to whisk away much faster than just leaving meat on the counter. Also, as an alternative to the running water method, you don't have to waste all that water!

@rjb2003 the reason meat defrosts faster in water than on the counter is due to the fact that the heat transfer coefficient of of the water is much greater than that of the air thus is can (essentially) absorb heat faster. While defrosting in a large bowl of water is a great idea (the further apart the temperature of the water and the meat the quicker the defrosting, be careful not to cook the meat) it will rely on only one method of heat removal, conduction, while running water and thus getting a current going will use conduction and convection to defrost the meat (or whatever you are trying to defrost).

The light fixture above my kitchen sink gets really hot- it has those weird cone shaped halogen light bulbs. Not ideal, but if I need to thaw something it's awesome. I just put whatever it is in my cast iron sink, turn on the light and walk away for a while.

I thought that the water is suppose to just gently trickle over the meat because the convection currents that happen are more powerful than just running water.

I find using a bowl of water is the easiest route. Fish defrosts in what seems like minutes and everything else takes about an hour per pound/pound and a half.

one trick is to plan ahead and freeze things in manageable quantities, and smart shapes. if you take the extra time to cut your chicken breasts in half (lenghtwise so they are thin) or freeze your ground meat in a thin sheet instead of a big ball, it will all thaw much faster!

like @adamwa, i freeze things as flat as possible (ground meats, sauces, soups, etc) or in smaller portions in good quality freezer bags.
for softening butter, i put it in the microwave for a few seconds (time depends on how much) on defrost, which is not as powerful as the regular setting, so it doesn't cook/melt as easily.

To soften refrigerated butter I put it in the microwave for 1 minute per stick at the lowest setting (1) - on my microwave this works perfectly, and sometimes I even have to go a little longer than a minute. But YMMV ;)

To soften butter, cut it up! At least into tablespoons. This will ensure the most even temperature throughout the butter. With a good knife, frozen or very cold butter isn't that hard to cut.

running water? that's an obscene waste.

sit meat in a bowl of cold water

water running down the drain like that, when half the world has none...

A surface that conducts heat well will tend to conduct the heat right into the food. I usually use my stainless steel table but metal cookware works well too (as someone mentioned).

Grate your frozen butter and it will thaw instantly. Or cut a stick in quarters, lengthwise, then slice crosswise into small cubes. It will thaw almost instantly, not quite as fast as grating.

Stand butter on its END in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, depending on the microwave. It will soften but not melt!

i lower the watt power and melt the butter in the microwave...works great!

I buy skinless, boneless chicken breasts -- please don't judge me! :S -- & freeze 2 to 4 per freezer bag. When I forget to defrost them, I simply put the bag in a bowl for an hour or so (don't even put it in water). Then, I take the chicken out of the bag, put it in the bowl and drizzle balsamic vinegar over it. Lemon juice works, too. The acid tenderizes the still frozen meat and gives it a marvelous flavor!

i used to use cube trays for stock, pesto, and wine but it would get ice crystals in it. i started using the super small ziploc bags and havent looked back since. they work great for baby food too!
as for thawing; my favorite trick for meat is to put it on a sheet tray with another one on top and put a few large cans on top. inch and a quarter pork chops thawed in an hour.

the abundant use of plastic bags on this website kinda grosses me out. tupperware people!! reduce adn reuse. recycle is no longer good enough