Well, I did it again. Took a couple of steaks out of the freezer and tossed them on the counter.

C

cynupstateny

Well-known member
Forgot about them and left them out overnight. They have no ice crystals left but they're really cold.

It was about 60° in my kitchen. Please tell me I can still use them.

 
Sorry to be part of the Food Safety Police (FSP) Cyn, but overnight is WAY too long...

At or close to four hours will make you sick or very sick. They may seem cold but the internal temperature of them is key.

A short excerpt from my "when in doubt, throw it out" string above:

Temperature
Pathogens grow well in food held between the temperatures of 41 degrees F and 135 degrees F (5 degrees C and 57 degrees C). This range is known as the temperature danger zone.

Time
Pathogens need time to grow. When food is in the temperature danger zone, pathogens grow. After four hours, they will grow to a level high enough to make someone sick.

 
If you took them out of the freezer shortly before you went

to sleep for the night and found them when you got up in the morning I would think they would be fine. It takes quite a while for them to thaw and while they are still frozen and partially frozen they will be cold. I have done this and cooked the meat and I am still alive. I know that it goes against every food safety rule and most of the just plain common sense rules but I did it anyway. I think that the number of hours out of the freezer is important. By the way my house is kept at 60 degrees or less also.

 
I totally agree with what Sandy_in_Philly wrote, BUT I used to waitress and the chefs in that

restaurant would typically take out frozen steaks when they first arrived, i.e., 6 AM, and let those things sit on a baking sheet on their counter near the grill ALL DAY long. The steaks weren't used until the 5 PM dinner hour commenced. This was in a commercial UN-air conditioned kitchen, and no customer ever became sick that I ever heard about.

It is safer to toss them, but I understand your dilemma. It's like throwing cash money away.

 
I generally leave meat in a bowl of water overnight...it is not cold in my kitchen...to me..

60* is rather cool. I heard that leaving the meat in water reduces the chance of bacteria in the defrosting meat....well, I dont know!
We have never ever been sick after eating the meat.

Never leave meat uncovered.

I also generally marinade this meat for the BBQ by about mid morning and then let it sit in the fridge till about mid/late afternoon then take it out and set it on the counter to BBQ about 7pm. Never had any problems.

But there are two things to keep an eye on and one main thing to do:

1) That there is a cool area....mid-summer here is not an option in my kitchen.

2) The meat is very fresh when it is frozen and therefore defrosted. If one starts with slightly suspect meat to begin with then one is asking for trouble.

AND: press the meat firmly in with your finger, if it regains its shape fairly quickly it should be good, if it stays depressed it is going off.

However if there is a lot of fat in/on the meat do not leave it out for nearly as long. (And change the defrosting water at least once.)

My reasoning is this, and it is not scientific by any means....when we used to go out shooting we would hang the meat for a few days in the cool room.....never as low as 60* I'm sure....well hung meat is good....
So, although this well hung meat was cooked to death in those days some of it, like the fillets were not, and we never ever got sick.

I am sure your meat will be fine but do you know if it was very fresh meat to begin with?

 
I've done this too. I'd use 'em. No one has ever gotten sick from my table...

...in 30 years of cooking for family and friends.

I wouldn't argue with Sandy's facts because they're true. I hope I never end up with the guilt of being on the wrong end of a bad situation, but I think the idea of letting something thaw at room temperature isn't as bad as we think.

The food thaws from the outside inward. The frozen part keeps the food cold while it thaws. I don't let fully thawed food sit out. Usually I put it back in the fridge while it's still partially frozen, or very cold.

Plus, I leave the packaging on while it's out thawing. This, I believe, acts as a mini-fridge for the food, keeping it cold as it thaws.

Michael

 
I sometimes put a stainless steel bowl or colander upside down over thawing meat. It stays

cold longer, but still thaws quicker than if refrigerated. I'm really bad at not thinking ahead and admit to thawing almost all my meat at room temp. It's a bad habit and I've found Sandy's post most informative...and scary.

 
You have to take into account how long they stayed in a frozen state on the counter.

That amount of time wouldn't be an issue. The 4-hour clock starts once the meat hits 41*. A quick check with a thermometer could settle it.

I defrost things at room temp. too if I'm going to cook them within a few hours.

 
You're right Joe...

a thermometer would settle the doubt. That's what I meant when I said the "- - - the internal temperature of them is key."

 
if you forget to leave steaks, chicken, fish of other small pieces out to thaw, the approved way to

thaw them quickly is in a container with a small stream of running water. If you have a limited water source, Simply change the water every half hour or so.
These small things will thaw in an hour or less. You can actually thaw huge things this way too, if you have a container that fits under faucet--I have arrived to jobs with nothing thawed and meal time just a few hours away.
I thaw fish this way daily and other things when it appears I may need more than is thawed.

Would suggest everyone has a pocket type instant read thermometer. You can just slide it in the side of a steak toward the middle. Also handy for checking cooked chops, chicken etc.

ServSafe is probably the most conprehensive food practice course I have taken in 30+ years of courses.

be safe you guys,
Nan

 
A Different Spin and A Lighter Note To Follow

This thread reminds me of what people ate when food was scarce. I don't want to go to the other end of this continuum to The Donnor Party, however, people have survived on worse meat than that. The Civil War, WWII, Korean, and Vietnam POWs, The Jewish Concentration Camp Prisoners, The Irish Potato Famine, well you get my drift. I've been pretty hungry at times that that length of time out wouldn't daze me! On a lighter note, there is a Donner Party Cookbook!
http://www.amazon.com/Donner-Party-Cookbook-Survival-Hastings/dp/0972221735

 
A couple of weeks ago on Good Eats, Alton Brown said the British invented steak sauce to

cover up the taste of old meat.

 
I've heard that too. I read somewhere that you should be wary of

sealed marinated meats - you know, those encased in a liquidy marinade that you buy at a supermarket or wholesaler. Word has it that they marinate those meats that aren't quite "fresh."

 
Amen to this! I got food poison Labor Day weekend from eating one of those type steaks.

We ate dinner at a neighbor's who always serves these type steaks. I was the only one who got sick from eating them, but a friend pointed out that even though the steaks may come packaged together, they could be from totally different cows. I will never go near one again.

 
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