# Frozen broccoli to room temp - salvageable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627 "2014-08-15T18:45:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/1 "2014-08-15T18:45:12Z")
Say I left frozen broccoli out and it reached room temperature. Is it salvageable at all, or straight to the trash? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/2 "2014-08-15T19:03:44Z")
If it wasn’t sitting around too long, just cook it ASAP. Being thawed for a short time shouldn’t hurt it. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/3 "2014-08-15T19:21:33Z")
don’t refreeze. you’ll have broccoli mush. If it’s only been out a couple of hours, cook it and eat immediately or refrigerate after cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/4 "2014-08-15T19:27:05Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > don’t refreeze. you’ll have broccoli mush. If it’s only been out a couple of hours, cook it and eat immediately or refrigerate after cooking. Thanks - sounds like the way to go. I don’t want to eat it immediately, so it’ll probably go into the fridge post-cooking for a day or so. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/5 "2014-08-15T22:21:21Z")
Assuming it was [a product like this](http://heathershelpings.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_22651-1024x681.jpg), in a plastic bag … it should keep for some time after being thawed and brought to room temperature, shouldn’t it? Like for several days, at least? I’d be surprised if I had thawed a bag of frozen broccoli on Sunday, say, left the bag out on the kitchen counter until Friday, and then opened it to find some kind of bateria-ridden mess. I’d expect the broccoli to be totally safe for consumption, even after several days sitting out at room temperature so long as it remained bagged. Am I placing too much faith in the airtight (?) bag? Now, those veggies frozen in cardboard boxes? I can see how those would spoil quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/6 "2014-08-15T22:33:27Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Assuming it was [a product like this](http://heathershelpings.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_22651-1024x681.jpg), in a plastic bag … it should keep for some time after being thawed and brought to room temperature, shouldn’t it? Like for several days, at least? That is exactly the product I have. ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/7 "2014-08-15T23:49:28Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > don’t refreeze. you’ll have broccoli mush. If it’s only been out a couple of hours, cook it and eat immediately or refrigerate after cooking. Is broccoli flash-frozen or parboiled and then frozen? It appears to be already cooked when defrosted. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/8 "2014-08-16T00:12:24Z")
> [@JKilez](#): > > Is broccoli flash-frozen or parboiled and then frozen? It appears to be already cooked when defrosted. Usually just blanched and then flash frozen. Not fully cooked. The blanching greens it up and then freezing softens it a bit. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/9 "2014-08-16T01:46:22Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Assuming it was [a product like this](http://heathershelpings.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/IMG_22651-1024x681.jpg), in a plastic bag … it should keep for some time after being thawed and brought to room temperature, shouldn’t it? Like for several days, at least? > > I’d be surprised if I had thawed a bag of frozen broccoli on Sunday, say, left the bag out on the kitchen counter until Friday, and then opened it to find some kind of bateria-ridden mess. I’d expect the broccoli to be totally safe for consumption, even after several days sitting out at room temperature so long as it remained bagged. Am I placing too much faith in the airtight (?) bag? > > Now, those veggies frozen in cardboard boxes? I can see how those would spoil quickly. Those bags are not airtight. Take out in the morning, leave out all day to defrost and sit on the counter at room temp for a few hours, then cook that evening, totally fine IMO. A few days on the counter will end up with a gross mess of rotting veg and mold. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/10 "2014-08-16T01:54:29Z")
Simple test for situations like this: Does it smell gross? If yes, throw it out. If no, go ahead and eat it. Your nose does its job better than you think. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frozen-broccoli-to-room-temp-salvageable/695627/11 "2014-08-16T03:33:02Z")
You dopn’t even need to cook it. Put a little Mayo on it and eat it cold, or just warm it up by putting it in hot water for a half a minute. The cellular structure has already done what cooking would have done, so just eat it at whatever temperature you want. It will be like overcooked, with no fresh crispness at all. Make a cheese soup with it.