# Raw Chicken Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742 "2008-04-17T16:35:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Punkyova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@The\_Punkyova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Punkyova)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/1 "2008-04-17T16:35:21Z")
Supposing, hypothetically, that a certain person went to the grocery store last night. And let’s pretend that as this person came into the house the phone was ringing, and then other stuff happened, and so on. And that when whoever this was came down to the kitchen this morning, the groceries were still sitting on the counter. :smack: Does leaving raw chicken out overnight mean it needs to go? It went straight into the freezer this morning, if that makes a difference. (I mean, it would have, if this were real chicken.) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/2 "2008-04-17T16:42:30Z")
I found this: “As on any perishable meat, fish or poultry, bacteria can be found on raw or undercooked chicken. They multiply rapidly at temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F (out of refrigeration and before thorough cooking occurs). Freezing doesn’t kill bacteria but they are destroyed by thorough cooking of any food to 160 °F.” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/3 "2008-04-17T16:46:37Z")
So how was the booty call? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/4 "2008-04-17T16:55:55Z")
Four hours is what I have been taught is the absolute limit for food between 40 and 140F. This often comes up on BBQ websites if an all night cook has the fire go out in the middle of the night. Better safe than sorry, toss the chicken. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/5 "2008-04-17T16:56:54Z")
When in doubt, throw it out. Chicken that has gone “off” will smell and taste funny even if fully cooked and all the nasty germs are dead. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/6 "2008-04-17T17:08:51Z")
Yah it needs to be thrown out. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/7 "2008-04-17T17:22:44Z")
I would leave the hypothetical chicken in the hypothetical freezer until trash day, so it doesn’t stink up the hypothetical place – but yeah, if it was on the counter overnight, it would be too risky to eat it. Hypothetically. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/8 "2008-04-17T17:35:54Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] Freezing doesn’t kill bacteria but they are destroyed by thorough cooking of any food to 160 °F." [/QUOTE] I don’t know if this applies in this particular situation, but some bacteria when left to their own devices will produce some really nasty toxins that aren’t destroyed by cooking. One purpose of freezing/refrigerating food is to cause the bacteria to remain dormant until the food is cooked. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/9 "2008-04-17T17:50:00Z")
**TWDuke** , that makes sense. If it’s safe to eat after cooking, why refrigerate it at all? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/10 "2008-04-17T19:14:01Z")
Hey, you could always feed this hypothetical chicken to that hypothetical cat who hypothetically ate all that hypothetic pot. I mean, he’s got to have a wicked case of the hypothetical muchies. You know. _Hypothetically._ ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/11 "2008-04-17T23:21:44Z")
[QUOTE=AuntiePam] **TWDuke** , that makes sense. If it’s safe to eat after cooking, why refrigerate it at all? [/QUOTE] Because refrigeration keeps the bad bacteria dormant. If you keep it cold while raw, the bacteria population will be kept to a safe level and they won’t be putting out their toxins that don’t get neutralized by cooking. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/12 "2008-04-17T23:28:18Z")
I did this once but it was from TJ’s. The branch I frequent knows me as a loyal and frequent customer so I took it back, explained what I had done and they let me switch it out. If they hadn’t taken it back I would have tossed it, though. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Punkyova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@The\_Punkyova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Punkyova)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/raw-chicken-questions/445742/13 "2008-04-18T01:45:54Z")
Thanks, guys. Not exactly what I would have wanted to hear, had I done this, but useful none the less. Next garbage day, out it goes. (Hypothetically.)