How To Cook Frozen Sausage Links Without Defrosting Them First

There's nothing wrong with freezing sausage links or buying them from freezer aisle to begin with — except for the fact that they're, well, frozen. Freezing sausages certainly preserves their freshness, but who wants to deal with defrosting the links when it's time to eat? Some brands of store-bought sausages have instructions to cook them in the microwave directly out of the fridge or freezer, but the resulting texture is usually not the best. The good news is that you don't have to defrost them first in order to get a crunch on the outside and a fully heated inside.

The trick is to use a little water. You'll still want that crunch and golden-brown color on the outside, so the first step is to sear them in a pan. The issue is that the frozen sausages won't cook all the way through before the outsides go from that ideal golden brown to black or burnt. This is when the water comes into play, which will essentially steam the sausages so they're cooked through.

First, sear the sausages in a skillet with a little oil over medium heat. Rotate the sausages so that every side gets an even color. When the sausages achieve that color, it's time to add the water. Add just enough to cover the bottom of the pan, because you don't want to boil them. Cover the pan with a lid and cook until the water has mostly evaporated. Alternately, reverse the process and cook them in the water first, then add oil to a pan to achieve that crunch at the last minute. For smaller frozen breakfast sausage links, throw them in a pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and cook until heated through. To be safe, use our sausage-cooking hacks and check for an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

As easy as the water trick is, you can also air fry frozen sausages. It might take up to 25 minutes at 390 degrees Fahrenheit, but it's less effort. Another option is to bake the frozen sausage links at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes. A final tip is that if the links are frozen together, remove them from the oven and separate them after the first few minutes to ensure they cook evenly. And if you have extras, incorporate the links into our best sausage recipes, like deconstructed lasagna soup.