Re freezing chicken..help

[girly]

I recently got the chicken boneless chicken breast out of the freezer at about 9am so it can defrost on the countertop ready to be cooked at 6pm. We didnt get home until about 8-9 and nor me or DH were hungry. I said you go to bed as I have to cook this coz of bacteria. He assured me that just put it the fridge and cook it early 2morow. I did at about 12pm the next day. Should I have cooked it. DH had a bowl of butter chicken(I made the chicken for this dish) this was last night and then went to bed. He seemed fine this morning. I havnt had any!

Is it safe to do that. When I said I put it in the fridge I meant the cooler, Its the mini freezer in my fridge it doesnt freeze but keeps it colder than the other parts of the fridge.

plEASE HELP

I know its too late now but for the future.

[chicky2lala]

Iv done this and left it in my cooler for 2 days before cooking it, aslong as it stays before the best before date i cook it.

In other words, iv taken it out, defrosted it and then we didnt use it for whatever reason, so iv put it in my fridge and cooked it 2 days later.....we never died:smiliedance::p


If it was past it's use by date by the times i took it out of the freezer id use it as soon as it was defrosted, if i couldnt it'd go in the bin.

[Pina Colada]

:no: I was always taught that once meat has been frozen and defrosted you cannot freeze it again.

Having said that, I think it would have been ok to pop in the fridge, and cooked it the next day, but certainly within 48 hours.

That's JMO though.

[indigoin0z]

i believe you might get away with this if its winter ..

but i wouldnt risk it any other time
[& if i did, i would make sure it was thoroughly cooked through & eaten while hot
&
i wouldnt give it to a bub or expectant mum IMO]...


[hypothetically....[I]if i wasnt now a vegan of course :rolleyes:]

[girly]

I definately over cooked the chicken a tiny bit longer than suggestedto just be safe. I was also taugh to NEVER refrost meats and poultry. Thats why i was freaking out.

I'm glad other mums have did similar. Now I dont feel so worried ive given my husband food poisining...:thumbsup::thumbsdown:

[sam's mum]

I wouldn't defrost chicken on the counter top to start with :o. I would defrost it in the fridge.

once any meat is defrosted I wouldn't refreeze unless it had been cooked. I would leave it sit in the fridge though (not overly long).

[Nex]

It is safe to do the following.

Defrost, refridgerate, COOK, freeze.


NOT safe to do this

Defrost, refreeze, defrost, cook.

[chicky2lala]

She didnt refreeze she put it in a cooler (like a fridge but colder, it doesnt freeze though) So she defrosted,put it in the fridge and cooked it 9 hrs later.

[subaruforestermum]

Can I say that NO it will not be ok to do so, as your first mistake was defrosting it on the BENCHTOP :shame::shame::shame:



The danger zone for bacteria growth is 5 to 60 degrees Celsius, and that's why it's always so dodgy defrosting meat at room temperature, either on the bench or in the sink. It's much safer to do it in the microwave or the fridge. And any food that's been left out on a sideboard or picnic table, for example, for four hours, needs to be thrown away.


It is a big cause of food poisoning in the home...

I thought it was common knowledge, as I learnt it years ago in my food handling certificate....

But if you cook it, make sure it is extremely hot above 75 degree, and you dont let it cool down and refigerate it. Freeze it just when the steam settles or eat it all in one sitting....

But personally your first mistake was leaving on the bench to defrost, even if it is winter, in the microwave or on the bottom shelf of the fridge should be the only way meat of any kind is defrosted....

[indigoin0z]

....I thought it was common knowledge, as I learnt it years ago in my food handling certificate....

But if you cook it, make sure it is extremely hot above 75 degree, and you dont let it cool down and refigerate it. Freeze it just when the steam settles or eat it all in one sitting....

But personally your first mistake was leaving on the bench to defrost, even if it is winter, in the microwave or on the bottom shelf of the fridge should be the only way meat of any kind is defrosted....

yeah i agree with this...
as ive too done food handling course.. but i was trying not to 'sound' anal...:o

the winter thing i suggested earlier was worst case scenario...
and assuming some may have a house as cold as ours [4 degrees c most winter days!:eek:]..

[~Temet Nosce~]

I usually defrost chicken in the fridge, it takes about 24-40 hours. I have defrosted it on the bench before though, and then eaten it, and havent been sick.

[PunkyDiva]

Gotta agree with Subaru, you never muck around with chicken. Defrost in microwave/fridge never out in the open, cook, eat immediately and discard leftovers.

Salmonella poisoning symptoms can appear up to two days after consuming contaminated food and if not treated with antibiotics can lead to serious health probs including death as it travels into the blood stream affecting the entire body.

Salmonella...
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Gastroenteritis_salmonellosis
Handling chicken...
http://www.hazeldenes.com.au/recipes/r_chk_prepare.htm

[Mama2Mia]

there's a thing called the 2hr/4hr rule...and inspectors ensure that all food businesses apply this rule to prevent any outbreaks.....

basically if its a potentially hazardous food (raw meat is considered potentially hazardous), then you can leave it out of temperature control (ie. in between 5 and 60 degrees for a max. period of 2hrs and then place back in the fridge where it is under temperature control.....

the 4hr rule part means you can leave a potentially hazardous food out of temperature control for a max period of 4hrs after which time if you don't either consume it or cook it immediately, then it needs to be discarded

if you have a microwave that is the best way of defrosting meat if you need to do so quickly...otherwise i'm sure youve heard it before many times now, foods should be thawed out in the fridge where it is under temperature control and the multiplication/growth of food poisoining bugs can be minimised.

i wouldn't eat it if i were pregnant or give to bubs.

here's a good link for food safety fact sheets if you want to have a look.....its SA Dept of Health's website but the same rules apply nationally.

http://www.health.sa.gov.au/pehs/food-index.htm

[Gruffalo]

Well I suppose I don't fall into the category of most people cos I usually defrost my meats on the sink in a bowl :o and we have never gotten sick. You learn something new every day :laughing:

I guess you can tell I aint got no certificate....

Good info Mama2Mia.

[Mama2Mia]

there is a bit of luck involved i guess....
my mum used to do this all the time (probably still does!) and she's never gotten sick.

but then again, it does also depend on how the meat was handled before you bought it as well....if it was subject to severe temperature abuse before you get your hands on it then its likely any further temperature abuse will result in a case of food poisoning...

i've had little cases of food poisoning myself but never bad...just a bit of cramping and the runs :laughing: but just have to be super careful when pregnant

[jennababe]

i reckon men have cast iron stomachs!!! LOL:laughing: