# Ground beef left out overnight - quick advice needed



## booklover

Due to (what I am assuming was) a miscommunication with my mother, who lives with us, about 3 lbs. of thawing beef chuck was left out overnight on our countertop. We don't have our heat on yet, so it was in the low 60's F, around 17*C all night long. When I smell the beef, it smells fine. It probably completely thawed to the core late last night, so it was sitting thawed on the countertop for about 5 - 8 hours.

My gut reaction is to not waste... cook the heck out of it and use it for spaghetti sauce or something. I don't want to kill my family, though. 

What would you do?


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## chickenmommy

Well, the sanitation rules say to throw it away. I grew up with meat thawed in the sink overnight every night. No one died from that. If you stuck it in the fridge immediately when you found it out, and cook it to death when you cook it, I would bet it will be ok. But then there are those rules. You do what you are comfortable with.


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## michiganfarmer

My thought is if it was frozen when it was set on the table last night, it should be fine to cook it the way you described, but if it was already thawed before it was left out, I would not eat it.


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## LvDemWings

Is there any way you can cook it right now? I have done this a time or 2 and brown it thoroughly immediatly in the morning.


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## booklover

michiganfarmer said:


> My thought is if it was frozen when it was set on the table last night, it should be fine to cook it the way you described, but if it was already thawed before it was left out, I would not eat it.


It was thawing during the evening.


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## Ohio dreamer

Your nose and tongue are powerful weapons. If it smells OK, cook it up now. Once cooked totally take a small taste - how's it taste? If it passes the smell and taste test, I'd eat it as meat sauce or chili or some such item (giving it a double cooking). Freeze the extra.


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## steff bugielski

Cook the heck out of it.


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## goatsareus

I would throw it out. Ground meat is the most contaminated kind of meat there is. If it was a solid piece of meat, I would cook and eat it. Not ground meat. It is not worth getting sick.


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## michiganfarmer

booklover said:


> It was thawing during the evening.


...and it sat out all night after it was thawed? I wouldnt eat it..cooked or not.

I just would not chance it. food poisoning can paralize you. a pound of burger isnt worth the risk. throw it out.


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## AR Cattails

I'd throw it out and not think twice about it. I wouldn't take chances with my family's health over some hamburger.


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## MaineFarmMom

Keep in mind the people who suffered food poisoning because the food they ate looked, smelled and tasted fine. I'd throw it out. Better safe than sick.


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## ann fr

If you have cats or dogs I'd not waste it but give it to them.Don't feed it to you human family.


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## Rockytopsis

I would not even think twice about it, throw it out, or dog food.


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## booklover

It's gone! Sitting on the curb with the trash. We don't have animals, so it really went to waste.


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## Rockytopsis

I do feel better safe than sorry and I am sure we have all been there done that at one time or other. It was not too long ago that due to a miss communication with my own brain that I left a great pot of homemade chicken noodle soup out on the counter. My dogs loved it.


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## mnn2501

> Dog food


Dogs and cats can get (and die from) food poisoning also.
Toss it, is saving less than $10 worth the chance of giving your family food poisoning?


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## BaronsMom

If in doubt, throw it out! Food poisoning definitely not worth the misery! I know that's hard to do - and I've had to make the choice myself. But always a good lesson learned.


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## Cabin Fever

I would have eaten it. Look at it this way, any food-poisoning specie of bacteria that couldhave started growing on the beef, would have been killed during the cooking process. In other words, dead Salmonella, e-coli, etc. do not give a person food poisoning. And if by chance, botulism toxin could have been produced overnight (which I doubt) it too would have been inactivated after being cooked at boiling temp for 10 minutes. The only way the hamburger could have hurt you is if you had eaten it raw or undercooked.


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## Immaculate Sublimity

I'd have eaten it, too, in the days pre current refrigeration, the whole earths population didnt drop dead from warm meat. Cooking kills bacteria. you'd have had more reason to be concerned if you made that spaghetti sauce and left it in an aluminum pot in the fridge..dont ask me how I know that. 20 years later and I still refuse to even consider using aluminum anything to cook with.


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## Alice In TX/MO

Dog food.


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## Ardie/WI

Cat food.


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## Lazy J

Cabin Fever said:


> I would have eaten it. Look at it this way, any food-poisoning specie of bacteria that couldhave started growing on the beef, would have been killed during the cooking process.


That is correct IF the hamburger was cooked completely through. 

Jim


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## simplefarmgirl

i would of cooked it,, if it was thawing it was still cold,, I would of cooked it made meat balls, something and then froze them..


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## ginnie5

We'd have eaten it too. I always cook meat thoroughly though. Growing up it was the norm for food to be left out on the stove (except in the hottest summer months) overnight. You'd get up in the morning and turn it on for a good boil or heat it thoroughly in the oven. I've only had food poisoning once....from store bought meatballs.


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## BAmaBubba

I would definitely have eaten it. as long as it is thoroughly cooked (as CF said), there is no danger. Once the meat hits a temp of 170, all the bug nasties are toast. I grew up with meat being thawed in the sink overnight and never once did any of us get sick. Then again, we cooked it well. The only time I eat any ground meat less than well done is if it's from our freezer beef and thawed in the fridge or under a trickle of cool water.


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## Kris in MI

my first reaction was "cook it" too. I know it's not what the health dept. tells us to do, but I grew up on meat thawed on the counter overnight, and in the 17+ years since I left home, that's how I've done my meat (except poultry, which I thaw in the fridge for several days). Heck, I've got a ham on the counter right now that I took out of the freezer before I went to bed last night. 

I acknowledge that warm meat or any other warm food can culture bacteria. But, like some others have said, if it is still cool (not room temp) and you cook it thoroughly, that should pretty much take care of any undesirable things that may have sprouted in it.


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## watcher

As long as you cook it you'll be fine. Cooking kills all the little critters that could hurt you in food which is not canned or otherwise in an oxygen free environment.

Not to gross you out but in survival school you are taught you can eat meat which has. . .well let's just say fly larva on it as long as you cook it well. I never had to but that's what I was taught.


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## stranger

it it smells good, it should taste good, for over 40 yrs we always thawed thanksgiving turkeys out on the counter for a couple days, now we do it the right way in the fridge, takes longer but we may live longer.


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## BaronsMom

_From our local health department:_

If raw meat is left at room temperature over two hours, it may not be safe to eat even after proper cooking. Some bacteria, such as staphylococcus (staph), produce toxins not destroyed by high cooking temperatures.


****
Still - it is up to you. I've had food poisoning and the memory is enough to make me toss something I'm not sure about.


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## Pony

Oh, dear! We would have eaten that with no question at all.


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## booklover

I really, really dislike wasting food. But in this case, it just isn't worth it. My mother lives with us and she is in poor health. I have a young daughter. If it had been just my husband and me, I maybe would have risked poisoning just the two of us.  It wasn't really worth the $4 or so that I'm out. I'll definitely be more careful next time, though.


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## marytx

I would not even consider eating it. I'd toss it and count the loss so much better than risking food poisoning.


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## Mark B Neisler

I ate mine it was delicious and the dog also liked it. In a bag from grocer not opened or touched. Frozen solid put it out and fell asleep was a cool night but it was definitely in danger zone. Smelled ok and no ill effects 15 hours later think I made it


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## Lisa in WA

Mark B Neisler said:


> I ate mine it was delicious and the dog also liked it. In a bag from grocer not opened or touched. Frozen solid put it out and fell asleep was a cool night but it was definitely in danger zone. Smelled ok and no ill effects 15 hours later think I made it


Just a heads up. it can take several days for food poisoning symptoms to manifest.


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## Elevenpoint

Good fresh ground chuck you buy and grind yourself is best or a good butcher shop you know is fresh. For the real fresh I like it raw with cracked pepper and garlic salt as a snack.


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## IlliniosGal

elevenpoint said:


> Good fresh ground chuck you buy and grind yourself is best or a good butcher shop you know is fresh. For the real fresh I like it raw with cracked pepper and garlic salt as a snack.


Probably not as good after it sat out on the counter overnight?


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## coolrunnin

elevenpoint said:


> Good fresh ground chuck you buy and grind yourself is best or a good butcher shop you know is fresh. For the real fresh I like it raw with cracked pepper and garlic salt as a snack.


I prefer my beef aged, but to each their own.


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## Evons hubby

I don't eat ground beef raw. Sitting out over night shouldn't cause problems that proper cooking won't cure.


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## emdeengee

My advice would be to throw it out and not feed it to humans, cats or dogs. Raw ground beef can harbor harmful bacteria that multiply rapidly when the meat's temperature is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. For safety and to maintain freshness, never leave ground beef at room temperature for more than two hours.

If you have ever had food poisoning you will always err on the side of caution. The loss of 3 lbs of ground beef is a financial hit but not a huge one and the result of food poisoning is worse.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

I set frozen meat on the counter and let it thaw all night when house is low to mid 60s all the time.



definitely cook through but eat (unless you are immune deficient )


smell test it typically fine if you are cooking well done as loose meat

understand that in many other countries and even ethnic groceries in the US they leave ground meat set out in big tubs with very minimal refrigeration then scoop basically directly into a shopping bag take it home set it on the counter and cook if for dinner.

same with chicken

what they don't do is expect it to last in the fridge for a week after they treat it like that.


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## motdaugrnds

I suspect my situation is different in that I know beyond a doubt just how old the meat I'm thawing out is because we process the animal from start to freezer ourselves. Knowing this lets me thaw out frozen meats on the counter during cool weather. And of course I never feed raw (or semi-raw) meat to my loved ones; but I cook it thoroughly....


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## Grandmotherbear

Not sure how quick these recent ressponses are since the original post was dated 2008? but I suppose the responses are timeless


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## mreynolds

Grandmotherbear said:


> Not sure how quick these recent ressponses are since the original post was dated 2008? but I suppose the responses are timeless


I hope it's still not on the counter.


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## Lisa in WA

Grandmotherbear said:


> Not sure how quick these recent ressponses are since the original post was dated 2008? but I suppose the responses are timeless


it was bumped by this recent post from last Monday. 
I was responding to him. 



Mark B Neisler said:


> I ate mine it was delicious and the dog also liked it. In a bag from grocer not opened or touched. Frozen solid put it out and fell asleep was a cool night but it was definitely in danger zone. Smelled ok and no ill effects 15 hours later think I made it


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