g/f has decided to defrost tonights tea in a bowl of hot water. Doesnt sound right to me so i thought id put it to the panel...

hope i live to see the answers

ps dont vote for the enpty lines...

[Edited on 8/11/04 by JoelP]

If it doesn't kill you straight away it's all good

"Foods should never be thawed or even stored on the counter, or defrosted in hot water. Food left above 40 ºF (unrefrigerated) is not at a safe temperature," cautions Bessie Berry, manager of the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline.

Even though the center of the package may still be frozen as it thaws on the counter, the outer layer of the food is in the "Danger Zone," between 40 and 140 ºF – at temperatures where bacteria multiply rapidly.

"When defrosting frozen foods, it's best to plan ahead and thaw food in the refrigerator where food will remain at a safe, constant temperature -- 40 ºF or below," recommends Berry.

There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, and in the microwave.

What cooking don't kill the stomach will!

Make sure its thawed right through first!!!!!
As long as its cooked properly and reaches a high enough temp inside the thicker bits you are ok. What ever you do dispose the of the water down the sink then clean the sink with a anti bacteria spray. This is where the bugs that kill you cross contaminate the other foods ect. Cant remember the cooking temp off hand but when the juices run clear it is cooked properly when cut open.
Happy eating. Make sure its thawed right through!!!!!

[Edited on 8-11-04 by mangogrooveworkshop]

If it's gonna be cooked straight away then it doesn't harm at all....

It's only like starting a slow cooking process.

Of course if it's gonna be left a bit after that then bacteria can start being a bastard...

its fine, but as said make sure its all defrosted thoroughly, and keep the water as cool as you can.

You'll probably find running cold water will work fine, and the fact the water is constantly running over the chicken will thaw it.

but definately safe as long as its cooked right.

Mark (qualified immunologist/microbiologist)

my wife has done a food safety course


the earlier post about 'danger zone' is true. If food is between summat like 8 - 60 degrees it breeds bacteria.

apparently, they only live on the surface, and exceeding 70 or so kills them off.

I dont think that being in hot water for a short time is gonna be a problem, as long as they are properly cooked afterwards.

atb

steve


ps

next time you have a doner kebab, consider the danger zone.....

How long can you keep fresh chicken in the fridge?

As long as you want, but:

a) it won't stay fresh for long and

b) don't blame me if you get food poisoning...

quote:

---

Originally posted by Avoneer
How long can you keep fresh chicken in the fridge?

---

1. As long as you want but it starts to small abit after a few days
   
2. Is the fridge switched on?
   
3. Is the chicken dead?
   
4. etc etc etc
   

Till it's eaten all the cheese and drunk your beer. I'm abstaining because I don't eat chicken. Anything that stupid can't be good for you.

Thought I was on a roll for a joke then but hellfire blew it.
I was gonna say I put a fresh chicken in the fridge last night and the bugger was dead this morning!
Pat...

well, we fried the life out of it, sure tasted good. I'll let you know if the proverbial hits the fan tomorrow...

turned out it had been in fridge overnight, but the hot water seemed a daft idea to me. alls well as ends well, i guess. cheers for the thoughts and (crap) jokes

i do it all the time, im not organised enough to get it out of the freezer, every extra second in bed in the morning/afternoon is worth it!
im not dead yet, although i dod give my g/f food poisoning for a few days - needless to say it didnt go down too well, but gt me out of cooking for a while!!!
my stomach can prob handle most things i throw at him these days, being a 'poor' student, we have to eat what we can get
tom

quote:

---

Originally posted by JoelP
well, we fried the life out of it, sure tasted good. I'll let you know if the proverbial hits the fan tomorrow...

---

I've heard tell of a mysterious "defrosting machine"

A product of the space race, this modern miracle can defrost a chicken in minutes..

Still no official word on the name of the device but some of the boffins are favouring...................

MICROWAVE.

Do you live in the 1940's or something?

Cheers

Chomondley Warner


[Edited on 9/11/04 by chrisg]

problem with the micro is the tendency for certain parts of the chicken to cook before others have defrosted, harbouring bacteria which can then transfer back to the cooked bits.

Also, regarding comments about certain temperatures breeding bacteria... the important temperature is 37C, for obvious reasons. If a bacteria thrives at this temperature it is more likely to be pathogenic to humans than one which thrived at say 20 degrees. So, what you logically want to avoid is using water which is around 37 degrees celcius to defrost your chicken.

And as said before, as long as its cooked properly, then *all* bacteria will be killed, which solves the problem.

regards,
Mark

cheers for all the comments guys. just got of the toilet after a fun day... kidding of course.

believe it or not, i did a few modules in immunology and similar stuff in my degree, but that is fortunately fading with time!

so the basis is, dangerous if you arent careful and the chicken isnt throughly cooked. ok if you know the crack, but a risk that is easily avoided with forethought.

quote:

---

Originally posted by JoelP
ok if you know the crack, but a risk that is easily avoided with foreskin.

---

actually, killing the bacteria isnt the only thing.

if the meat has significant contamination, and you blast the crap out of it, you can still get food poisoning.

those little bastards have been shyting all over it, leaving toxic bi-products. The bacterial may be dead, but the poisons they left behind dont get affected by heat.....


atb

steve