Expert: Carol Schlitt - 9/11/2007

Question
My gf left,on purpose, frozen ground meat on the counter, overnight, about 8.5 hrs and planned to serve it, including kids...i had a fit, she said it felt cold and if she cooked it, it would be fine...she mother did it, she did it, her friends supported her...she agreed and let me buy some fresh meat but insists she is right...can you help...i thought the conventional wisdom was no more than 2 hrs on counter ( assuming temp is over 40 )so over 8 hours would be a recipe for disaster, especially with kids...are kids more prone, as i have always assumed ) to problems with bacteria, etc... especially if they are in the 2-5 age range, ...jerry

Answer
Hi Jerry,

Yes -- we all use to thaw meat on the kitchen counter and to our knowledge at that time -- with no consequences (or at least none that we attributed to this activity).

Unfortunately, we now know more about what happens when you defrost meat at room temperature. If harmful bacteria is present, thawing at room temperature gives these bacteria a great environment for growth. And we also now know that some of these bacteria produce a toxin (waste product) that can make you ill, even if you do cook the meat. That's why we recommend now to not thaw meat at room temperature.

Yes, food borne illness is more of an issue for very young children.  It takes less bacteria or toxin to make them ill and their immune system is not as developed to fight off an infection or intoxification.

The problem is you can not tell if meat has grown harmful bacteria or produce toxin as no visible signs are present. So with this knowledge, our recommendation is to not consume meat that has been thawed at room temperature.

Sorry...

Carol