If I have enough time, I usually thaw it in the fridge. If I’m pressed for time, it depends on what I’m cooking and how.
IMHO, a hot water method is fine for anything you intend to cook immediately. Here are some methods I use.
Chicken: Watertight plastic bag in tap-hot water. I use a weight to keep it submerged, and usually have a trickle of hot water from the tap to keep the water hot enough to thaw. I keep my hot water at approximately 120°F (58°C). It usually thaws through in about 20 minutes without starting the cooking process. That being said, since I’m going to be cooking it anyway, a slight amount of pre-cook is not going to make that much of a difference.
Beef, ground: If it is bulk and I want patties for hamburgers, or need it fully thawed for meatloaf, I use the quick-thaw above, and then if it’s not fully thawed, I’ll use a knife to scrape the thawed away from the frozen core, and chop the core. It usually thaws while I’m seasoning/preparing. I just pay attention to the inner temp, using a meat thermometer, while I’m cooking to determine the correct done-ness (rare, medium, well, etc.). This also works for things like kabobs. They usually thaw all the way through with little or no pre-cook, and work just fine on skewers.
Larger cuts (whole or half chickens, beef or pork roasts): because of the length of cooking time on these types of cuts, a frozen core does not make a big difference. I usually adjust the cooking time, and use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s done to the right temperature, especially chicken and foul.