Sausages from Frozen

Defrosting sausages on the stove is simple and takes less than 15 minutes to get nice and browned casings, and fully cooked on the inside.

Did you know you can defrost and cook sausages all at once right on the stove? That’s right, no need to panic if you forgot to pull them out in advance. I’ve got the info you need right here.

Tips for Cooking Sausages From Frozen

Defrosting sausages on the stove is simple and takes less than 15 minutes to thaw and cook right in the pan. That sounds easy enough, right?

Remove Packaging: You have to remove all plastic, styrofoam and also the absorbent matt, if present. If any of that is stuck, run cool water over the package until you can pull it away without tearing.

Use A Large Enough Pan: We’re dealing with a “brick” of sausages, and you need them to all cook evenly. Make sure they fit. A 12-inch stainless steel or non-stick pan works well.

Use Liquid: Add the frozen sausages along with stock or water to the pan. This will help transfer the heat more quickly and will get your sausages more evenly thawed too.

Cook Covered, At First: Cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for five minutes. This gets everything steaming and thawing.

Remove The Lid: When you remove the lid, the sausages will be fully thawed and partially cooked. They will look kind of gray, but not for long. Allow any leftover moisture to evaporate, and when the pan looks just about dry, the sausages can continue cooking a few different ways, which is what I’ll explain next.

Browning the Sausages

There are a few different ways that you can get the sausages brown after the initial steaming step.

• Add some oil to the pan, according to the recipe directions, and brown the sausages right in the pan for about eight to 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the sausages registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer when inserted into the center of one of the sausages.
• Or, transfer sausages to the oven to finish cooking with or without other ingredients, like these Sheet Pan Sausage and Pepper Hoagies.
• Or, slice the partially cooked sausages, brown them in the pan with some oil, and then add to other recipes to finish cooking, like tomato sauce.
• Transfer the sausages to an air fryer and cook at 400F until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. And note, you can actually cook sausages in the air fryer straight from frozen, even if they were frozen together on a tray.

As noted, you can also cook sausages straight from frozen in the air fryer, skipping that initial steaming step. It’s really easy and only takes one step to get them well-browned and crisp on the outside.

• For Italian sausages or brats from frozen head here.
• For thinner sausages, like breakfast sausages, learn how to cook them in the air fryer, from frozen and also thawed, over here.

Using Your Sausages

The sausages can be stored in the refrigerator up to five days and can be eaten on their own, or added to other ingredients for dinners throughout the week. Try them in these recipes:

• Easy Lasagna Casserole
• Quick Italian Wedding Soup
• Pasta with Sausage and Greens
• Italian Sausage Chili