Thawing meat on the counter

[nanajoyx2]

I also have been known to eat raw cookie dough and to lick the bowl after making brownies.[/QUOTE]


Who does not do that?

 

[NewmanFamily6]

Another guilty thaw on the counter person. Guess since I have survived 35 years it is okThe thought of trying or tasting raw meat though really makes me queasy.

 

[ellone]

Like I previous poster I also ate raw hamburger in small amounts as a kid.

Hasn't anyone heard of steak (beef) tartare?

Mom ordered it by mistake when we were in France so I ended up eating it.

 

[North of Mouse]

Sitting in the sun. Who does this?? My DH, that's who. Drives me out of my mind that he INSISTS on leaving frozen meat on the counter to thaw. I'm talking about hamburger , hot dogs and pork. Today he left in in the sun.
I am really careful with handling food-completely grosses me out that he does this....

Wouldn't be thawing it in the sun - however, just thawing on the counter has always been our way. I grew up with doing it that way, and have been doing it for many, many years of married life also! Personally feel that just thawing in the 'fridge' is way over rated. All our family, brothers, sisters, their families, etc. would all be sick, or dead now

Would NEVER eat raw hamburger though - just the thought makes me sick - Ugh!

 

[HubbDave]

As long as you kill off bacteria and worms by cooking it should be okay

And the food supply is pretty safe anyways

 

[Baliezer]

Add me to the "thaws meat on the counter list."


I also eat raw cookie dough. So yummy!

On the plus side, isn't raw egg supposed to make your hair shiny, or something like that?

 

[chellt]

What about chicken? My mom thawed EVERYTHING this way. Including the Thanksgiving turkey! I've always been too afraid to do it this way, but also REFUSE to thaw in microwave.

 

[JVL1018]

I thaw in the fridge if I remember to take it out in time, if not, I just throw it on the counter and let it thaw during the day. Beef, chicken, pork, whatever.
My mom did too. Never had an issue. I'm 41, so far, so good!

 

[usd2bmd]

I also thaw it on the counter... I don't know about anyone else but thawing it in the fridge takes a couple if days for it to actually thaw, and although we plan out meals out I don't always have room in my fridge for two days worth of meat...

My dad always ate raw hamburger.

 

[disney1990]

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/big_thaw/

Yes, we all know what the usda says. I was raised with meat being thawed on the counter. In years past, I put it there and left it out. Now, I keep an eye on it and when it seems to be partly thawed, I put it in the fridge. But, I have never put it out in the sun to thaw.

Yep, 60 plus years of licking the cake batter bowl and eating the raw cookie dough. Hasn't killed me yet.

 

[carrie1626]

That's how I grew up, frozen meat and chicken on the counter.
Maybe it was just in the fall, winter and spring, but I can assure you no one died or became ill.

That being said, I thaw most frozen meat in the fridge overnight. Or, preferable cook with fresh meat. I'm not an advocate for counter thawing.

 

[Phlip]

Just eww. My mom did it too--thawed everything on the counter. Gross.
I can just hear the bacteria growing, lol! See safe food prep guidelines state food needs to be kept under 40 degrees or above 140 degrees. Otherwise bacteria multiply. Shhhhhh....you can hear it!
I don't know, I never got sick, that I know of when I was a kid, but I've gotten food poisoning before, and it's not fun. I just can't do it.
Time to turn vegetarian...

 

[Phlip]

Add me to the "thaws meat on the counter list."


I also eat raw cookie dough. So yummy!

On the plus side, isn't raw egg supposed to make your hair shiny, or something like that?

Yes, when applied topically---not ingested. Again, eww.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Just eww. My mom did it too--thawed everything on the counter. Gross.
I can just hear the bacteria growing, lol! See safe food prep guidelines state food needs to be kept under 40 degrees or above 140 degrees. Otherwise bacteria multiply. Shhhhhh....you can hear it!
I don't know, I never got sick, that I know of when I was a kid, but I've gotten food poisoning before, and it's not fun. I just can't do it.
Time to turn vegetarian...

Still....never got sick once. Not even food poisoning. So clearly its not as bad as you make it seem.

 

[M2B]

Yep, I thaw meat on the counter too. I'll put it in the fridge if I think of it ahead of time, but usually don't.

 

[Tozzie]

I thaw on the counter, my mom did it that way and we never got sick.

I have also had food poisioning but it wasn't from food from someone's kitchen, it was from catered food. I would worry more about that than

 

[CammelleandBre]

Add me too. I thaw meat on the counter almost daily.

 

[Mom_Rides]

Counter thaw almost daily.

 

[lovetoscrap]

If I thawed stuff in the fridge we would never eat! I swear it takes days for stuff to thaw that way. I put it on the counter and we have a large metal tray we usually put it on that thaws it faster if necessary. I wouldn't leave it in the sun

But I do try to put it back in the refrigerator after a few hours before it is "room temperature". If we forget and leave it out overnight I am not comfortable eating it so we have had to throw some things away because of that. Since I started working this year thawing things has become a big problem because I am not comfortable taking something out at 7am before I leave and having it sit out all day. I am usually home around 4:30 and by then it is pretty much room temp. When I was a SAHM I would take it out around mid morning/lunch time and then it would be thawed by dinner, or I could put it in the fridge when it was no longer frozen. I have experimented with a few different things so far but haven't have a good system I am comfortable with. I even took it to work with me in a cooler bag a few times so I could let it sit out and then put it back in the fridge but the bag insulated so well it didn't thaw! Thawing in the microwave just never seems to work but I do use the cold water method for some things if I am desperate.

We like our beef just slightly past mooing so I don't want it to sit out and get warm.

 

[2012DisneyWorldBride]

Ewwww no! I never defrost on the counter. Always in the fridge. Sometimes it takes a day and a half but I adjust to that. I have gotten food poisoning from bad ketchup of all things. I carefully watch the expiration dates (one day past it goes in garbage). I don't EVER wanna be sick like that again. So I don't take any chances.

But... Growing up my mom defrosted things on the counter for a couple if hours to get it going then put things in the fridge to finish defrosting. Never got sick from that but not ever taking the chance.