Question A gentleman friend of mine always takes frozen out of the refrigerator to let it thaw on the counter. But even after it has thawed he will let it stay out (another 2 hrs or so) until he barbecues (steaks for example). I tell him he shouldn't leave uncooked meat out for fear of bacteria but he says it's never a problem. Is he safe doing this or has he and his family just been lucky. I would appreciate your advice on this matter of the proper way to thaw meat and how long it can safely be left out on the counter (uncooked) Thank you....Greg
Answer Greg,
It's good that you have concerns for others. The rule of thumb is that you should never defrost food on the counter because of bacteria growth. To tell you the truth my family did this for years and I couldn't tell you the effect because we never considered the digestive time period. So if we were to get sick a couple of days later it was never related to the food we cooked or prepared (go Figure). The proper way to defrost meats are microwave or in the refrigerator which might take a day or two. For more meat storage info go to http://www.food-storage-info.com/meatstorage.html
