[bgraham]

Help --

I took a roast out of the freezer last night while I was making dinner, and meant to put it in the refrigerator to thaw but apparently forgot. :Bawling:

It was frozen solid when I took it out about 6 pm but now it is not even cold.

I was planning to cook it in the crockpot all day. Can I still do this?

I've always heard to thaw meat in the refrigerator but I've also heard that if you cook even spoiled meat long enough it is ok. :shrug:

Can I still use it?

Thanks!

Beth

 

[BamaNana]

I always go with the saying "when in doubt, throw out" especially with meat.
:shrug:

 

[susieM]

If it smells okay, I'd cook it.

 

[Shinsan]

Beth, we take meat out of our freezer and let it thaw overnight, or even through the day if we're going to cook it that night, all the time. (We don't have enough shelf space to reserve for thawing meat.) In umpteen years of doing that, we've never had a problem.
I've also kept unfrozen steak on the meat shelf of the fridge for a week - LOL - it almost looks green by then - but it has still been good to eat. Before the advent of supermarket meat, butchers used to hang meat in a cool room to age for several days - some of the moisture would evaporate, shrinking the meat a little, but concentrating the flavour.

 

[AngieM2]

Is it still cold? I'd have to look at it and see if it's gone brown, maybe even cut it in half to see if it's still pretty cool inside - there's a good chance I'd just go crock pot it.

And 'overnight' could be from dark to breakfast, or from bedtime (10 -12) to sun- up. Several hours of difference there.

But, I might just use it.
Also, the temperature of your house would enter into my thinking (air conditioned vs hot humid summer night with windows open)

Angie

 

[Anita in NC]

I'd cook it. If it was frozen solid it probably stayed cold enough to still be fine. Personally I'd cook it and eat it.

 

[HeavenHelpMe]

I'd eat it. But that's just me. I've done it before and never had a problem, but I did cook it to well done. Do what you feel is best.

 

[tn_junk]

I would just consider it "well aged" and cook it, but not in a crockpot. I would cook it at a higher temp just to kill any nasties.

galump

 

[Snugglebunny]

I say if it's not even cold - might not be a good idea. If I thaw on the counter - which I do because it takes way too long to thaw in the fridge according to the Gov't recommendations - I do it in water, or leave it out for no more than a few hours.

I like to take a look at my menu at three or four days ahead and take out meat from that meal. So if it's sunday, I look at waht I have planned for wednesday and take that out - so it gives me a good long time to thaw it out in the fridge. If it's still frozen then it thaws easily on the counter a couple hours before cooking time.

 

[susieM]

I think this is what curry was invented for.

 

[Alice In TX/MO]

Not crockpot today. Sear it in a hot skillet, then pressure cook it.

Or.....make it into dog food.

The older I get, the more I worry about germs. Three people in my family are immune impaired, and digestive distress from bad food is dangerous.

 

[BobK]

...the nose knows......

 

[A'sta at Hofstead]

I would cook it, maybe our family just have cast iron stomaches, but I have made this mistake on many occasions and there is nary a puke or a squirt in our family.

 

[crashy]

I would cut it open and see if it is cold inside. I am sure its ok just make sure you cook it really good and long.

 

[sancraft]

I left a chicken thawing in a bowl of water on Thursday night and forgot to put it in the frig. We had great fried chicken for dinner last night. I'd cook it. Meat doesn't spoil that fast. Is your house airconditioned? If so, it's not that hot inside your home. I'd cook it in the crock pot. It'll cook for hours and be completely done.

 

[Windy in Kansas]

I would cook it and not worry about it as long as it was still wrapped.

If you are leery of it pressure cook it. The higher temperature would probably get rid of anything you would normally worry about.

 

[Dorothea]

i would cook it as well,,been there ,done that

 

[Mutti]

I'd sure go ahead and cook it. Waste not,want not. My family never lets me forget the lasagna caper....went to put it in the oven,hit the door and it slid out on the floor so I slid it right back into the pan and baked it anyhow! Everyone knows how much it costs to bake a big pan of lasagna!!! DEE who's problem is getting husband not to eat actual nasty leftovers; I have to clean out the frig before I head off for my out-of-town work weekends so he doesn't poison himself!

 

[RockyGlen]

I do it all the time....as someone else said, who has room in the fridge to thaw meat. I simply check it with the meat thermometer to be sure I got it up to appropriate temperature.

 

[Lucy]

It should be thrown out from a safety standpoint. Even if you cook it and get food borne illness you may not know it for days. It can take a while for you to get sick from eating foods, even days later.
I would not risk it. Bacteria at room temperatures doubles approx. every 15 min. So, even if you had only a small bacteria count to start with, in just short time think of how much bacteria is in there. If food smells bad, it has been bad for a while. You can't rely on smell for bacteria count. I don't think the recent cans of Castleberry foods with botulism smelled since you can see, taste, or smell botulism. This is just an example.
Cooking will not always destroy all of the bacteria.
Many people say they have the "flu" when most of the time it is a form of food poisoning.
The thought of puking and and also running from the other end is not worth it to me.