WWYD?? Beef Left out on Counter Overnight

[lovetoscrap]

I took large pieces of London Broil out to thaw yesterday late afternoon. I left them on the counter intending to put them them in the refrigerator before I went to bed. ( I never thaw things in my frig because they just stay frozen!)

Of course I forgot DH discovered it this morning and put them in the frig intending to call and tell me later. I got up and saw them in the frig and assumed he had put them in last night for me. So I went ahead and marinated one for dinner tonight. He just called me a few minutes ago to tell me to throw them out.


I am so MAD at myself. This was supposed to be about 4 meals worth of meat-- about $15-20 worth. While I know I should throw it away, part of me is saying "really, how bad could it be as long as you cook it"?? We generally like our meat Med Rare but I would cook it to Well so I kill everything and use it for salads or something.

What would you do? Throw it away or risk eating eat? Really, how bad is it that it reached room temp (about 65) for a few hours if I am going to cook it?????

 

[Christine]

It *might* be just fine but, really, it's JUST NOT WORTH IT!

If you get sick, it will be miserable.

 

[SandraVB79]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm th eliving proof (as is my family) that you don't die from that!

 

[speedydisteen]

Throw it out! IF YOU WERE MY MOTHER AND YOU SERVED THAT I WOULD BE SO MAD! I HAVE ALREADY HAD FOOD POISONING ONCE AND I DON'T INTEND ON HAVING IT AGAIN! THROW IT OUT!

 

[claudia]

toss it.
you might also consider raising your fridge temp just a bit so that you can defrost in the fridge....as long as it stays 40 degrees or under.

 

[poohandwendy]

Throw it out, not worth it.

And speedydisteen, holy moly...your siggie images are ENORMOUS! Any chance you could downsize them a wee bit? Cool, but waaaay too big, LOL

 

[laurajetter]

I'll probably be the unpopular vote here, but I think I'd tend to keep it. I know you shouldn't leave things like that out but I wonder how super fast can they possibly spoil? Plus, you put it out frozen. Even once it thawed it still would've stayed cold for quite awhile, so the actual amount of time it was at room temperature might be shorter than you think. I know the RIGHT thing to do would be throw it out; but if I were in that position I think I would try it and see.

Maybe you could cook it and try eating just a tiny bit first. If you don't suffer any ill effects then hopefully it is fine.

Okay, you can all start throwing things at me now...

 

[Favorite Auntie]

My mother always says...WHEN IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Ditch the meat.

 

[m&m's mom]

Cook it. Why not. Give it the ole sniff test when it is finished and taste a small part to see what you think. Most likely w/ beef if it is bad enough to get you sick you would taste it. I think I have eaten worse and I never got sick. And, I got food poisoning from an innocent lettuce salad so you never know.

 

[shirleyb]

Cooking it will kill bacteria, but what happens with spoilage is that bacteria give off toxins and that is what makes you sick. Think of it like this, if you had arsenic in your food, cooking it wouldn't get rid of the arsenic, it would still be there. That's the same with the toxins.

 

[dcgrumpy]

And speedydisteen, holy moly...your siggie images are ENORMOUS! Any chance you could downsize them a wee bit? Cool, but waaaay too big, LOL

hmmm yeah, I dodn't think that falls within guidelines

 

[KristiKelly]

I'd throw it out.

 

[DJR]

Cook it. Why not. Give it the ole sniff test when it is finished and taste a small part to see what you think. Most likely w/ beef if it is bad enough to get you sick you would taste it. I think I have eaten worse and I never got sick. And, I got food poisoning from an innocent lettuce salad so you never know.

Wrong, wrong, wrong! Spoilage organisms are the one's you smell and taste, but they don't make you sick (other than the retch reflex). Food poisoning happens from bacteria you can't smell or taste. Some produce heat stable toxins that aren't destroyed at normal cooking temperatures. Throw it out!

BTW, I work for a local health department that inspects restaurants.

 

[floridafam]

No question. Throw it out.

If you do keep it, I wouldn't serve it to children or anyone with health problems.

 

[cinmell]

I would throw it out, I don't like to mess with meat or chicken. I'm another beliver of when in doubt throw it out.

 

[Cantw8]

I do this all the time, maybe I'm flirting with disaster but it just wouldn't bother me

 

[sugarpie]

Have you ever had food poisoning???

It's nasty.

 

[lil mermaid]

I wouldn't use it, but I am pretty cautious about things like that.

I just wouldn't take the chance.

 

[Blondie]

I'm another who has had food poisoning. It's just not worth the risk. I also agree with "when in doubt, throw it out."