Toss or cook?

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Chef Munky

Honey Badger
Joined
Dec 15, 2008
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I took 3 whole chickens out last night to defrost. All were frozen in flavor sealed bags.
Set them on the counter and walked away. They sat out all night.

Is it safe to clean and cook, or should I toss them out?

Thank you

Munky.
 
what is their temp now?? cool or warm?? Ideally you should freeze and thaw in stages: room to fridge to freezer to fridge to room. A quick thaw should be done in cool water in the sink.

If the temp of the chix is above 40F and you think it's been there awhile, toss. The price of a few chix is nothing compared to real food illness/poisoning.
 
It's 49 degrees now. They're squishy to the touch. Still cold.
Took them out at 8pm last night. It was a warm night. They are all natural chickens. No added injections if that helps. I can't believe I left them out like that. And a little more miffed that the men in my house didn't catch that for me and take care of it!

I'd normally defrost them in the fridge. Meant to last night. Chicken is cheap. I'd rather be safe them sorry later.

Thank you for the help

Munky.
 
Toss. Even in a sealed pouch raw chicken has bacteria in it that will be multiplying like crazy as soon as the temperature starts climbing above 35°- 40°F. Cooking would not guarantee that all the bacteria was killed or that flavor wasn't compromised.
 
It's 49 degrees now. They're squishy to the touch. Still cold.
Took them out at 8pm last night. It was a warm night. They are all natural chickens. No added injections if that helps. I can't believe I left them out like that. And a little more miffed that the men in my house didn't catch that for me and take care of it!

I'd normally defrost them in the fridge. Meant to last night. Chicken is cheap. I'd rather be safe them sorry later.

Thank you for the help

Munky.

Well, even if I assume the time on your post is EST and subtract 3 hours for California, it appears you left them out for about 15 hours. It is hard to believe that they have not been above 40 degrees for at least 6 or seven hours. Way too long to be safe from Staph toxin, which is highly heat stable.

I wouldn't take a chance on this.
 

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