Yesterday I thawed some frozen Cornish hens in cold water for about two hours, changing the cold water every thirty minutes. I planned to cook them immediately, but I fell ill and had my husband stick them back in the fridge for today.
How risky is it for me to cook and eat them today?
The official guidelines say cook it immediately, but realistically, I don’t think they ever sat above 40F, not even while thawing. How firm is this guideline?
Thanks.
I wouldn’t worry. I’ve done similarly and it was fine.
I’d think they will be fine (just my opinion).
Did you mean to write that they never were warmer than 40F?
In that case, I wouldn’t worry at all. If that kind of thing was dangerous, I’d have killed myself and dozens of family members and guests by now.
Yes! That’s what I meant. (Edited.)
Same here. While I understand proper food handling is important it also seems there is a sense that if you leave dinner leftovers out more than two hours they become irretrievably infected. If that were so I would be dead many, many times over (countless times I ate cold pizza left out from the night before in college). Of course, I am a sample of one.
Stick to the “two-hour rule” for leaving items needing refrigeration out at room temperature. Never allow meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, or produce or other foods that require refrigeration to sit at room temperature for more than two hours—one hour if the air temperature is above 90° F.
Since you started from frozen, I’d say you’re safe.
Just curious, what official guidelines say to cook immediately after thawing— were they instructions specifically for the Cornish hens, or general FDA guidelines?
I’ve never heard that one should cook meat immediately after thawing. As others have said, if the meat never got above 40F, I would think (assuming the meat had been purchased frozen, or been frozen right after purchase) it should be fine for a few days after thawing. Or more specifically, as CairoCarol said…
From the FDA:
There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave. Food thawed in cold water or in the microwave should be cooked immediately. Always marinate food in the refrigerator.
For food thawed in the microwave I would definitely agree, since microwave-thawed food will be very unevenly thawed. I’ve accidentally cooked things like chicken breast at the very edges while still being frozen in the middle when trying to thaw them in a microwave.
But for meat thawed in cold water, I think that recommendation is just an overabundance of caution.
Thanks. I’m really glad my Thanksgiving dinner won’t go to waste!
If (!) that’s true, then it’s like they never left the refigerator.
The biggest issue is that they haven’t been brining all this time.
I found a recipe to maybe do that, but I have to start now.
My biggest concern is the recipe says to leave the birds out on the counter for 45 minutes after brining. Can I skip that step?
That step is probably to dry the skin and perhaps take off some of the chill prior to cooking. Dry skin roasts darker and crispier (or at least less flabby), all things equal.
They, and you, should be fine.
@running_coach – produce?! Are they serious? Most produce doesn’t need refrigeration for considerably longer than that and some things shouldn’t be refrigerated at all.
Cooked vegetables and legumes can still spoil.
That quote didn’t specify cooked. Did the wider context around it?
And the question isn’t only whether they can spoil – anything short of clean honey can spoil, and will do so eventually even in a refrigerator – but whether they’re likely to become dangerous after two hours.
The official FDA guidelines feature an abundance of caution.
Also, if your birds never got warmer than 40F they are certainly still fine. And if they were a little warmer for a short time, they are probably fine, too.
Thanks to your suggestion, I brined. I let the skin dry. It turned out really great, so thanks.