Shipped Turducken Without Dry Ice But Very Cold

[harrymanimus]

Had a Turducken shipped to me but mistake was made and it shipped without Dry Ice.

Shipped on the 14th, Arrived on the 18th. Packed like so.

Turducken in sealed plastic bag.
Inside a cardboard box.
Inside a Styrofoam cooler. With space for dry ice, but none.
Inside a larger cardboard box.

Needless to say it arrived thawed. Seemed colder than if kept in fridge to touch on the outside so I'd assume the inside was even colder.

Had it in the fridge since yesterday morning.

Ok to cook this up and eat it?

Thanks,
harryman

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi and welcome to Discuss Cooking [emoji2]

I would call whoever you bought it from and request either a replacement or a refund. I would not eat it.

 

[dragnlaw]

Hi harryimanimus, and Welcome to DC.

Dry ice will evaporate from a styrofoam box in any where from 12 to 36 hours. It really depends on the amounts of ice and size of box. A key word here is evaporate, you won't see any sign of it once evaporated.

I would not be surprised if the meat was not still frozen in the centre.

I would certainly check with the company first and see what they say before chucking it.

 

[harrymanimus]

Hi and welcome to Discuss Cooking [emoji2]

I would call whoever you bought it from and request either a replacement or a refund. I would not eat it.

I did get a refund. Essentially it thawed in a cooler not much bigger than it was (not much air) over 4 days. Very cold. I'd hate to not even taste it. I wouldn't risk it with my elderly mom, but maybe just me, just a taste....

I have pics of the packing...

 

[harrymanimus]

Hi harryimanimus, and Welcome to DC.

Dry ice will evaporate from a styrofoam box in any where from 12 to 36 hours. It really depends on the amounts of ice and size of box. A key word here is evaporate, you won't see any sign of it once evaporated.

I would not be surprised if the meat was not still frozen in the centre.

I would certainly check with the company first and see what they say before chucking it.

The company said they do not put loose dry ice in the Styrofoam cooler directly. It is always in something to contain the dry ice. I've received other dry ice chilled products like that in the past. There was no dry ice container. It was a mistake. The bird did not feel frozen in the center at all.

 

[dragnlaw]

Alllrighty then! Chuck it!

Good on you for checking with the company ... and getting your refund!

 

[dcSaute]

there is something amiss in this story.

dry ice cannot be "contained" - the volume of CO2 expands about 800 times as it changes from solid state to a gas - were it "contained" the package would simply rupture/blow up (non-explosively)

the frozen "bags" / "plastic blocks" type cold products are not dry ice.

 

[harrymanimus]

Okay, well maybe what I saw in previous frozen packages wasn't dry ice. What I do know is I got a thawed bird, and there was no evidence that anything else ever existed. I believe if I was a shipper I would put something in there as proof that dry ice went in. Maybe it was in plastic mesh. They acted like they didn't see evidence of dry ice.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I had quail delivered to me from Texas, while I lived in Upper Peninsula MI. The quail was in a thick, Styrofoam cooler with a tight fitting lid. The shipping took 4 days. The birds were still frozen, and there was dry ice in the cooler (from which i made home made soda pop). This was in the middle of summer. An adequate amount of dry ice will last several days in a well insulated cooler.

I'm glad you got your money back. Don't eat that fowl foul. The only way I know to get room temperature food absolutely safe, including meat, is to radiate it with gamma radiation, in a sealed container. I'm pretty sure the company that sold you your turducken doesn't have a gamma ray emitter.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

If it was me, and I am a waste not want not type of person, I would accept the refund, then take the turducken out of its wrappings and stick my hand inside to ascertain if it is still frozen. If it was frozen inside and cold to the touch on the outside, I would consider it safe to cook and eat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4u1zEiXVIM