Expert: Carol Schlitt - 7/2/2007

Question
A coworker brought in home made manicotti this morning.  It was taken out of the refrigerator and out since about 8am.  She thought it would be fine to reheat for dinner at 5pm.  Is this correct?

Answer
Hi Sue,

No...this is the not recommended way to safely thaw food. Thawing food or allowing food that should be either cold or hot to be at room temperature for over 2 hours is considered a very unsafe practice that can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria to a level that can make you ill.

Many people think that cooking a food after it has sat out defrosting will automatically make it safe.  This is not true as some bacteria can produce a toxin that is not inactivated by heat.  In other words -- you can still become ill even with the food heated to pipping hot!

Please encourage your coworker to either defrost in the refrigerator, in the microwave oven (followed by immediate cooking) or under cold running water.  Any other way is considered a risky venture.

Carol