Does the way you thaw frozen meat affect how many bacteria grow on it? Bacteria multiply fastest in warm, moist conditions. The thawing method controls how long meat sits in that danger zone. You freeze three identical cubes of irradiated chicken. One thaws in the refrigerator for 12 hours. One sits on the counter for 4 hours at room temperature. One goes in the microwave. After thawing, you soak each cube in sterile water and swab the liquid onto agar plates. After five days, the counter-thawed meat shows the most bacteria growth at 53mm. The refrigerator sample reaches 22mm. The microwave sample has the least at 17mm.