To put a pack of chicken drumsticks outside to defrost?

[highlystrung]

Only did it for an hour at most, taken in and still pretty much frozen but I'm now panicking that we'll all get food poisoning. Not sure what I thought I was doing really - except I needed it for tonight and forgot to take it out of the freezer. It's now back in the fridge. Was all sealed in the packaging. Do I chuck away or will we survive tonight's tea?

HELP!!

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

I defrost everything on the work top, never in the fridge. We are all very much still alive.

[picnicbasketcase]

I seriously doubt it will do any harm. I would continue to defrost and eat them later on, but then I was to discover on another thread that anyone washes meat before cooking it, so what do I know

[highlystrung]

Is pretty hot here today though (SW England) - hence why I put it outside. Surely cooking would kill of any bacteria?

[ilovepowerhoop]

I always defrost stuff on the worktop and then put it in the fridge to be cooked later

[CiderLover]

You can usually tell by the smell.

Think of it like this though. You go to a shop and buy some frozen chicken, its an hour long journey on bus or car.
You wouldn't throw them would you?
Should be fine, just dont refreeze and eat today

[ilovepowerhoop]

do you mean outside as in in the garden rather than just in the kitchen??

[weegiemum]

I'd leave them out till soft unless the cat could get them

Then cook.

But I'm happy to do a fast microwave defrost if need be!

[Ilovexmastime]

It will be fine so long as it's thoroughly defrosted by the time you cook it... I'd get it back out of the fridge if I were you!

[Nomama]

No, you can't tell by the smell. Never, ever, ever rely on that. The deadliest of the bacteria thingies don't change the smell of food.

But you should be fine, OP. It isn't as common as everyone thinks and, as has been said, frozen food travels home in hot stuffy cars, on buses, on foot, and we don't think anything of it!

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

As someone who has just moved from sw London, I quite often defrost stuff on the windowsill too.

It wouldn't worry me.

[highlystrung]

Sorry yes meant the garden - in direct sunlight - and it's pretty hot today. I defrost on the counter in the kitchen all the time and have always been fine (touches wood)

[Amethyst24]

Fastest, safest way to defrost food is to wrap it well and submerge in cold water.

[SilverShadows]

Fastest, safest way to defrost food is to wrap it well and submerge in cold water

This. Although I've been known to put stuff in the conservatory to defrost. Does your microwave have a defrost function?

[Nanny0gg]

I wouldn't eat it.

Either microwave defrost or defrost in the fridge if possible.

I may defrost in a cupboard (to keep away from cats), but never in that kind of heat source.

[highlystrung]

But isn't defrosting in a microwave just cooking it on a low heat?

[LottieJenkins]

They wouldnt last two minutes in our garden! The dogs would snaffle them!!!

[Conkie]

Defrosting in a microwave just cooks it. I work in a kitchen and we defrost stuff on the side all the time if we need it quickly. Never been a kitchen that didn't do that.

[squoosh]

I defrost all meat on the draining board whilst simultaneously laughing in the face of meat defrosting guidelines.

However the Grim Reaper will have heard your panicked 'HELP!!' and will most likely now come a-knockin'.

[Fudgeface123]

I cook chicken from frozen and I'm still here

[Nomama]

Who said that?

Is there a ghostyfudgeface????

[highlystrung]

I'm talking my garden patio in 23 degrees not my kitchen worktop - I do that all the time and have lived to tell the tale. Anyway I've bottled it and just bought a gammon joint to have instead.

[Crinkle77]

It will be fine. It was less than an hour and is still frozen. If it was all day then I might be a bit more cautious.