While grocery shopping and returning home, I had a piece of meat (steak, flank) that was out of its refridgerated condition for about 30-45 minutes. Is there any potential risk if I cook and eat the steak? Normally I try to get the meat very last and return home immediately so that it is only out for 15-20 minutes. It was an overcast 55 degree (F) day. Am I just being paranoid?
Meat out of the fridge before cooking
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I would say if you are going to cook it now.. it would be fine. I like to bring steaks to room temperature before I put them to the fire.
That is not quite the case, I got the steak yesterday and was planning to cook it tomorrow evening.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Don't worry. It was not away from refrigeration long enough to make a difference. Cook, and enjoy it.
Meh, you're fine. Just don't leave it past tomorrow.
You must keep a pretty warm kitchen. I've left meat out six hours that had only gotten to 60F. It was a small roast though.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
General rule of thumb is food should not be in the danger zone for more than 2 hours. The OP should not have any issue with his steak.
As far as letting steak come to room temp before putting it on the heat, this has been shown to not do anything.
As far as letting steak come to room temp before putting it on the heat, this has been shown to not do anything.
mozart
Senior Cook
Nothing as far as the quality of the outcome if cooked properly. It would make the steak cook faster (reach the proper internal temp).
Are most steak recipes given with an assumed room temp product or basically while still in the 40 degree range?
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
I had always heard to get the "proper sear" on the meat, it should be resting at room temperature for 30 minutes.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
Steven Raichlen did a test and while you are technically correct that a room temp piece of meat cooks faster he concluded that there was really no practical difference.
I used to let my steaks rest at room temp before cooking. After I read Stevens piece I tried just cooking it straight from the fridge. I did not find any measurable difference.
One thing I found interesting from his article was that he said restaurants all take it right from the fridge and put it straight on the heat. They can not just have meat sitting out in the hopes that someone will order it in the next half hour.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
I've understood the resting at room temperature to relate to more uniform cooking that a proper sear. If your pan is really hot, as it should be, searing temps on the meat's surface will be attained almost instantaneously.
If the interior is 25ºF-30ºF warmer, it will reach the desired degree of doneness faster, taking less of a toll on the surface.
This is the method I have used for prime rib, so yes, room temp can be very important for cooking time.
YouTube - Perfect Prime Rib of Beef - Prime Rib Method X
I've never read a steak recipe, but lots of folks I know let the steak sit out for a while. Some (including me) season it then, too. I doubt they are out long enough to actually get room temp though. It's something I do because I've always seen it done that way... except when camping and worried about flies. Then I pull it right out of the cooler. And to tell the truth, I don't notice a difference either way.
mozart
Senior Cook
I agree GB. Cooks Illustrated writers have said the the only difference is the room temp steak may cook "a couple" of minutes faster.
Of course, two minutes on a hot grill can easily be the difference between medium rare and medium. As can the difference in temperature from one place in the grill to another.
Steak is too expensive to guess for me so I have used a probe with an external monitor and alarm when the food reaches my desired temp.
MyCrummyApartment
Cook
Yes, paranoid.
It takes me close to an hour to process a top sirloin butt and the meat is on open counter until I package it all when the butchering and trimming is done.
You can often tell when meat is going to be a problem because is gets slimy and starts to smell. But that takes hours, not minutes.
The OutDoor Chef
Washing Up
Flank steak can last 2 hours "TOPS" out on the counter as long as the ac is running or was really cool in the kitchen.
I wouldn't trust it otherwise if it was out in a hot kitchen, It could have boosted the Pathogen time a lot.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
the flank steak should be fine.
btw, i thought the two hour rule was only for already cooked food, and maybe a little longer with foods not as susceptible to pathogen growth, such as acidic foods, etc..
btw, i thought the two hour rule was only for already cooked food, and maybe a little longer with foods not as susceptible to pathogen growth, such as acidic foods, etc..
The OutDoor Chef
Washing Up
Nope it doesn't Buckytom.
According to my serve-safe textbook you have a 2 hour window for most types of raw meat.
We utilize this window time in BBQ a lot.
Hell chicken raw can stay out on the counter for 2 hours.
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