Do you thaw meat on the counter?

[KDIPIAZZ]

I will make something else rather than thaw in the microwave. If I'm planning ahead, I'll thaw in the frig. It always takes more than 1 day though, so the counters see a lot of frozen meat. That's why I love my soapstone counters!

 

[John VN]

35 years married and procedure is....

Slow thaw-In Refrigerator

Medium thaw-0n Counter

Faster thaw-Zip-Loc bag and throw it in POOL

Microwave-never

 

[monkey68]

My family has always thawed on the counter, or sink usually. If it's something packaged, and not too big, we put it in a bowl of cold water. Nobody ever died or got sick from it.

 

[Deb in IA]

Thanks for the well-intentioned PSA, Sheree.


I thaw in the refrigerator.

 

[Kathi OD]

Yeah, edges are cooking and middle is still frozen, no thanks. Thaw on the counter a lot, sometimes in the sink with the cold water if in a hurry, sometimes in the fridge if I actually plan ahead and get the stuff out of the freezer on time.

YUCKY thawing meat in the microwave, especially ground beef that you want to make into hamburgers, meatloaf, or meatballs. I'm a 3rd generation counter-thawer and proud of it. None of us have ever gotten ill by eating meat that has been thawed on the counter. However, I've never unwrapped the meat and left it uncovered on the counter, that would be yucky too.

Another non neat freak here. I have never bought hand sanitizer for my families use. I did have to buy it for my kids to take to school.


I don't eat pork jobs that have bones in them..only boneless for me. I'm a pork snob!

Maybe we're clones or something. Only difference here is that my kids are too old to have had hand sanitizer in school. We only eat boneless hops too!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I usually buy fresh for what I am cooking that night. But if I do have something frozen, I thaw it on the counter, too. It stays cold almost the entire time it is out..and when I cook fresh meat I put it out on the counter to bring it to room temperature. My mom did the same, I have never had food poisoning! Chicken is the only thing I will thaw in the micro because I am afraid of that being out on the counter. But even then I only thaw it a little bit, then finish in cold water.

 

[mjkacmom]

I actually am a germ freak - but for some reason thawing meat on the counter doesn't phase me at all. Now I do clean up with bleach after handling raw meats in the kitchen...I guess that's the germ-o-phobe part of me. I also can't stand when the kids come in from school & start rummaging through the cupboards & touching everything with their grubby germy school hands. My rule is that they wash their hands as soon as they get home, and they fight me every single day on this!

But thawing meat on the counter is just the norm around here.

I'm the opposite - not a germ freak, my kids eat without washing their hands, no hand sanitizer here, but I don't let meat defrost on the counter, or sit out for more than an hour after it's cooked without refridgeration.

 

[Christine]

I hate thawing in the microwave--it really ruins the food.

However, I do not counter top thaw. I usually plan ahead and put the frozen meat in the refrigerator section the day before. It is perfect for use the next day. If I happen to be more spontaneous and it is the weekend when I am home, I will thaw on the counter for a few hours but not fully. It then goes in the refrigerator. Basically, I do not let the food drop past a certain temperature.

If I really don't plan well--rather than microwave, I just order pizza and save the frozen meat for the next day.

 

[FayeW]

I do a combination of things. If I think far enough in advance, I will thaw meat in the fridge overnight. If I don't think about until the day I want to cook it, it thaws on the counter. If I have forgot to take anything out at all, I will thaw in the microwave.

Most of the time, though, I thaw meat on the counter, just as my mother has always done. No illnesses yet as far as I know.

 

[momrek06]

Have always thawed meat on the counter!! But I have been told by many NOT to. Like late last night...before bed I took chicken out of the freezer and placed it in the refrige. This morning I took it out of the refrige because it was still a ROCK. After several hours on the counter (and just about 100% thawed)...back in the refrige until I bake it tonight.

I hate thawing meat in the microwave! I have yet to figure a way to do that without starting to cook the meat!

By reading this thread, I am glad to see I am in the majority with counter thawing!!!

 

[Wonderlandmom]

No way! I thaw in fridge or ran under water for a bit. No countertop for me.

I am sure my mom did this growing up, and looking back we seemed to have a lot of "tummy upsets" and what we called "stomach viruses". I imagine they were not always that, some were probably foodborne illnesses.

 

[Planogirl]

I try to thaw in the fridge but I might get it started on the counter. Thawing it completely on the counter worries me a little but to each their own.

 

[marlynnp]

Keep in mind that her terrible infection has NOT been proven to come from her pork chop wound!

In case you weren't following - another poster was thawing chops on her counter & cut her hand on a sharp pork bone sticking up - and her cut got severly infected that she had to go to the hospital & have it lanced. Some posters were like "serves you right for thawing nasty meat on your counter!" But there was never mention by the doctors that the bacteria from the pork casued the infection. She cut her hand Sunday & it just became inflamed yesterday, so anything could have caused the flare-up.

And if she doesn't get a tag for her pork chop wound then the tag fairy's alseep!

Do these posters contend that she would not have gotten an infection had she thawed her chop in the microwave and had the same accident? Seriously?? That's ludicrous.


And if you have been getting sick because you thaw your meat on the counter. I think the problem is with the cleanliness of your counter.

 

[Lib E]

Nope. I shop a few times a week and only buy what we will eat within a day or two. There is no reason to freeze.

When I defrost a turkey though, I do it in the refrigerator. I'd never defrost on the counter.

 

[Sheree Bobbins]

I don't believe anybody stated that the countertop caused the injury and if they did, I believe they meant it to be a joke. That's why I never mentioned that specific poster, hope she is doing better.

 

[mamacatnv]

On my way out the door in the morning, I open the freezer, take out whatever looks good. If I am not running late I run it to the kitchen and place it on the stove, I have a gas range and the burner covers/grills are a great thaw spot. If I am running late I toss it on the dryer since it is the closest flat surface and head to work.

If I thaw in the fridge my family gets confused. Whoever gets home first starts dinner and if the meat is in the fridge they go get something else, defrost in the micro (yuck) and the meat in the fridge gets forgotten.

I defrosted the Christmas ham in the spare bathroom tub for 3 days, no one died.

 

[disykat]

I consider myself sort of a food safety freak, but I often start it on the counter and then put it in the fridge. I wouldn't thaw it all the way.

While I'm cleaning up dinner I often take something out for the next night. If it's like a rock I'll let it set out for an hour or two before sticking it in the fridge in order to insure it will thaw all the way.

 

[TaraPA]

Not to shift this thread to the germ-o-phobe side....but I left the thread for about an hour to go pick up my son who went home on the bus with a friend. When I get there the dad says "Oh Johnny threw up on the bus on the way home from school so he's upstairs sleeping. He tried to play with Billy for awhile but was just too sick." I was so mortified I didn't know what to say! Why wouldn't the parents have called me right away to come pick up my son?!?! I did say that, and the dad said Johnny's little brother was having fun with Billy so they wanted him to stay. Well I didn't want him to stay! I am now totally skeeved that my son was in direct contact with this sick kid. They sat together on the bus, and were playing video games together & sharing the remote. I made him wash his hands when he came in (which he grumbled about) and plan to wipe down where he sat to do his homework with Clorox wipes. Am I over-reacting? I know we're in contact with sick people every day & don't even know it - I think it's knowing that he was in such close proximity that's making me nervous....

Ok back to thawing meat on the counter....

 

[DMickey28]

On my way out the door in the morning, I open the freezer, take out whatever looks good. If I am not running late I run it to the kitchen and place it on the stove, I have a gas range and the burner covers/grills are a great thaw spot. If I am running late I toss it on the dryer since it is the closest flat surface and head to work.

If I thaw in the fridge my family gets confused. Whoever gets home first starts dinner and if the meat is in the fridge they go get something else, defrost in the micro (yuck) and the meat in the fridge gets forgotten.

I defrosted the Christmas ham in the spare bathroom tub for 3 days, no one died.

I thought you tossed it in the dryer!!

I do a combo but will toss things on the counter and then once the outside gets soft, I will put it into the fridge for the rest of the time. I am a ex-restaurant manager and food safety FREAK but it works for us. I would not advocate leaving it out all day while at work, 8+ hours but I am home so it's only out for a few hours.

 

[Bluestars]

I am very picky about my food. I thaw meat in the microwave or the refrigerator. My mother and my MIL both thaw meat on the counter. My MIL will leave it out for hours.

I've never gotten sick from eating meat thawed on the counter though. I guess it's just the fear of eating spoiled meat that keeps me from defrosting it on the counter. Maybe I have an immunity since I ate meat like that throughout my entire childhood.