Is my meat safe to cook?

[Jovin]

I DID try to thaw it out in the fridge first, but it was still frozen the next day.

Okay, I guess the majority opinion is that I ditch it. I DO appreciate everyone's opinion, and thank you so much.

Jovin

[GB]

Originally Posted by VeraBlue

Always defrost in the fridge or in the microwave (only if you are going to cook immediately).

Or cold water. Cold water is a surprisingly fast and safe way to defrost. As a matter of fact, if you put the same item to defrost in a 500 degree oven or under cold water it wouls actually be the cold water one that defrosted first.

[VeraBlue]

Originally Posted by GB

Or cold water. Cold water is a surprisingly fast and safe way to defrost. As a matter of fact, if you put the same item to defrost in a 500 degree oven or under cold water it wouls actually be the cold water one that defrosted first.

Positively, I agree with that...I didn't mention the cold water in this case because it's rather impossible to defrost ground beef under running water.

[VeraBlue]

Originally Posted by Jovin

I DID try to thaw it out in the fridge first, but it was still frozen the next day.

Okay, I guess the majority opinion is that I ditch it. I DO appreciate everyone's opinion, and thank you so much.

Jovin

Your safest option, in this case, was to leave it in the fridge, and eat it the next day.

[GB]

Originally Posted by VeraBlue

Positively, I agree with that...I didn't mention the cold water in this case because it's rather impossible to defrost ground beef under running water.

I do it all the time because my meat is sealer in a foodsaver bag so I know no water will get in. You could use a large zip lock bag though. A pound a ground beef would easily fit in a gallon size bag and keep the water out.

[ChefJune]

The very fact that you asked the question indicates to me that you're unsure... and, as always, when indoubt, throw it out.

Vera painted a very descriptive picture of the journey ground meat takes from coe to your table... too many chances for germs to grow in that thawed out meat sitting in your drainer....

I hope you threw it out!

[Constance]

I've always thawed my burger on the counter, and never had a problem with it. You just have to use a little common sense.

I've also accidentally left it out all night. If I were you, I'd break it open and give it a good sniff. Keep in mind that raw meat and blood do stink. That doesn't mean they are rotten.

We now have one of those aluminum thawing trays, which makes anything thaw in half the time.

[GB]

Originally Posted by Constance

You just have to use a little common sense.

The problem with that advice is that common sense means something different to everyone. To me, common sense would dictate that getting food poisoning because your food sat out in the danger zone is not worth the $3 that you spent on the meat. Not to mention that the meat can be dangerous to eat and not give off any bad smell at all.

You can do something like this a million times with no ill effect, but that one time that you do get sick I promise that you will never ever do it again.

[GB]

Here is an article from the USDA. Below is a snippet from the article.

Uh, oh! You're home and forgot to defrost something for dinner. You grab a package of meat or chicken and use hot water to thaw it fast. But is this safe? What if you remembered to take food out of the freezer, but forgot and left the package on the counter all day while you were at work?

Neither of these situations are safe, and these methods of thawing lead to foodborne illness.

[Jovin]

I really DO appreciate the time you've all taken to advise me and state your differing opinions. That's why I like this site so much.

Also, I have a question about the cold water thawing thing. I understood that you should use warm water when thawing frozen food out that way. Is this something new?