Let's play "Eat It Or Toss It?"!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left chicken on my counter, with me checking on it, from 7 am to 5 pm. It was still partially frozen when I put it back in the fridge. Then I cooked it in the morning. Personally, I think your chicken is probably fine, but if it was room temp when you woke up, I would toss. All depends on the cut.

I'm the 11:10 poster and I have eaten meat that thawed to room temp before I put it into the fridge.

I'm pp, and I have too. My only concern would be how early it thawed. If the legs are small and spread out, then it may have thawed several hours previously. If they are all packed together, then you are probably fine. If it were warm when I awoke, I personally wouldn't eat it.

I answered the question assuming they were frozen together in one clump (mmmmmm chicken clump).

me too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left chicken on my counter, with me checking on it, from 7 am to 5 pm. It was still partially frozen when I put it back in the fridge. Then I cooked it in the morning. Personally, I think your chicken is probably fine, but if it was room temp when you woke up, I would toss. All depends on the cut.

I'm the 11:10 poster and I have eaten meat that thawed to room temp before I put it into the fridge.

I'm pp, and I have too. My only concern would be how early it thawed. If the legs are small and spread out, then it may have thawed several hours previously. If they are all packed together, then you are probably fine. If it were warm when I awoke, I personally wouldn't eat it.

I answered the question assuming they were frozen together in one clump (mmmmmm chicken clump).

Yes, 11:10 poster back. I think this may be the crux of the issue. Crux = how clumpy was the frozen chicken clump? Clumped together? Or clumped not at all?

OP here. Pretty clumped. You know how they are, fitted together big ends to small ends, five in a package. The plan was to let them thaw a bit on the counter til I could separate them (they were unseparateably frozen), then put them in a bag with the marinade, and let them continue to thaw in the fridge. But I fell asleep.

My concern about the sniff test with chicken is that you can't smell bacteria. Only decomp. I'm pretty sure they're not rotting, but this is organic chicken, so it hasn't had the benefit of antibiotics and a bleach bath. Might be germy... Maybe I'll just over-cook.

[Anonymous]

Btw, OP and Game Host here... can't believe all my contestants forgot to take into account the organic-ness of the chicken! This is critical information! You all lose points.

[Anonymous]

I would eat.
Cook it to temp and it will be fine.
Animals have died, let it not be in vane.

[Anonymous]

This is the advantage of an old house -- our kitchen is over some kind of dug-out area, uninsulated and not heated. It totally does not matter if I leave food out overnight in the winter. Was the chicken still kind of crinkly-frozen or totally thawed in the morning? If it's crinkly-frozen I would cook it (after smelling it and before adding a lot of other ingredients that might end up getting tossed w/it if it smells once it warms up).

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a household where food safety was laughed at, so I'm not finicky about foods as much as my friends.

But my answer depends on where you purchased the chicken. If it was Trader Joes, I would toss. I've had bad luck with their meat going bad early.


So...do I win the brand new toaster oven??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in a household where food safety was laughed at, so I'm not finicky about foods as much as my friends.

But my answer depends on where you purchased the chicken. If it was Trader Joes, I would toss. I've had bad luck with their meat going bad early.


So...do I win the brand new toaster oven??

Me too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in a household where food safety was laughed at, so I'm not finicky about foods as much as my friends.

But my answer depends on where you purchased the chicken. If it was Trader Joes, I would toss. I've had bad luck with their meat going bad early.


So...do I win the brand new toaster oven??

Ooh, history of the store. Good call. You definitely make it into the final round. The chicken came from my local Giant, and I've never bought anything there that went bad, unless it really OUGHT to have gone bad due to my own negligence.

Of course, we can't determine a winner until the chicken is actually consumed and 48 hours have passed. (And really, the only possible loser is me, and people who eat at my house.) Don't touch that dial!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I grew up in a household where food safety was laughed at, so I'm not finicky about foods as much as my friends.

But my answer depends on where you purchased the chicken. If it was Trader Joes, I would toss. I've had bad luck with their meat going bad early.


So...do I win the brand new toaster oven??

Ooh, history of the store. Good call. You definitely make it into the final round. The chicken came from my local Giant, and I've never bought anything there that went bad, unless it really OUGHT to have gone bad due to my own negligence.

Of course, we can't determine a winner until the chicken is actually consumed and 48 hours have passed. (And really, the only possible loser is me, and people who eat at my house.) Don't touch that dial!

Woohoo!! I'm in the final round!

I don't shop at Giant so I can't weigh in on that.

So are you gonn do it???

[Anonymous]

Speaking as the niece of a man who used to work food safety, I'd say toss it. Like, now. And avert your eyes while doing so lest it give you the Evil Chicken Eye.

Thawing on the counter is not a good thing. The chicken on the exterior of the clump has been warm (and its bacteria multiplying) for many hours. Thawing in fridge is always the way to go, even if it takes another day.

I recently experienced the joys of a very nasty stomach bug, though, so I may be biased in the direction of better safe than sorry. As in, two days in bed wondering if I'll be able to stand up sort of sorry.

[Anonymous]

This question turns on unprovided information, which is what temperature the chicken was at when it was found. Unless OP tells us what the chicken felt like when she touched it upon discovery, there is no way to accurately answer the question.

[Anonymous]

I'd cook the hell out of it (which you can do w/chicken legs anyway). Ideal crock-pot situation. EAT.

[Anonymous]

And time is up!

OP, what did you make, and did you survive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And time is up!

OP, what did you make, and did you survive?

I tossed it. (They had been on sale. Seeing that I was only throwing away $1.65 made up my mind. Also... why were they so cheap?? Suspicious...)

HOWEVER! I had BSCBs in my freezer, so I cubed those up, coated them in yogurt and dill, and broiled them on skewers. My picky kid AND the pickier kid next door both devoured it, so I win.

Thank you all for playing! (And I'm sure we'll see you next week on... Eat It Or Toss It?!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And time is up!

OP, what did you make, and did you survive?

I tossed it. (They had been on sale. Seeing that I was only throwing away $1.65 made up my mind. Also... why were they so cheap?? Suspicious...)

HOWEVER! I had BSCBs in my freezer, so I cubed those up, coated them in yogurt and dill, and broiled them on skewers. My picky kid AND the pickier kid next door both devoured it, so I win.

Thank you all for playing! (And I'm sure we'll see you next week on... Eat It Or Toss It?!)

Incredibly relieved to hear this update, and that you are alive. Bravo op!