descongelar
verbCEFR B1
What does “descongelar” mean in English?
to defrost / to thaw
to defrost / to thaw (return frozen food to a safe temperature) — descongelar el pescado, descongelar en la nevera
Example sentences
Descongela el pollo lentamente en la nevera durante doce horas; nunca lo descongeles en la encimera a temperatura ambiente.
Defrost the chicken slowly in the fridge for twelve hours; never defrost it on the worktop at room temperature.
Si necesitas descongelar algo rápidamente, usa el microondas en modo descongelación pero cocínalo enseguida.
If you need to defrost something quickly, use the microwave on defrost mode but cook it immediately afterwards.
How to use it
Descongelar means 'to defrost' or 'to thaw' — the process of allowing frozen food to return to a safe temperature for cooking. Best practice in a recipe context is to descongelar en la nevera (defrost in the fridge) rather than at room temperature. The verb is a regular -ar compound of des- (reversal prefix) + congelar.
Common mistake
Do not refreeze food after descongelar — this is a food-safety rule often reinforced in recipe text (no volver a congelar). Also: descongelar uses des- as a reversal prefix, so the meaning is transparently 'un-freeze'. Students sometimes try *deshelar for food, but that is not standard — descongelar is always the correct food term.