Would you have eaten this dinner?

[SurroundedByBlue]

Thursday P comes home with ingredients to cook dinner, including mince to make meatballs. He leaves it on the side in the kitchen and we forgot about it and ended up having chippy tea.

I didn't realise he hadn't put the mince in the fridge so it stayed there until the middle of the next morning when I noticed it and put it in the fridge.

5pm last night he decides to make his meatballs. Rolls them into balls and leaves them on ghe side for 4 hours whilst he went out for a drink. Cooks them about 9pm and serves them. Cutting into one it was very pink in the middle and I asked him if he thought they were cooked. He says yes, definitely cooked. Not wanting to offend him I say I prefer mine well done (as I was sure they weren't cooked properly but didn't want to labour the point) and pop them back on the griddle for a bit. He puts his back on to cook more and then reserves. I still didn't think they were cooked so pushed them around my plate and ate around them. He ate all his, and mine.

I was probably being a bit fussy but didn't want to risk it at 36 weeks pregnant.

He was up all night with diarreah and is in bed with a stomach ache today. I suggested that maybe the meatballs weren't cooked after all, or had gone off from being out off the fridge. He was unimpressed and took offended saying that I was critical and should have eaten them etc.

Led to a stupid argument about how I'm ungrateful that he'd cooked etc with me pointing out how much I actually do at home (the usual type argument people have, it will be forgotten about in no time) We are both over tired, him after being up with his stomach and me after being up alot with our young child.

But, I still don't think that the meat was ediable.

Would you have eaten them?

[biff23]

Mince is not a steak, which can be eaten rare - the way I love it. The inside of the steak is protected by the outside which is sealed and cooked before eating. Mince on the other hand is all open to the elements which means it is needed to be cooked through properly to ensure bacteria is killed. I think given it was at room temperature for so long and not cooked through, which would most likely have killed any bacteria, that is the likely culprit.

[diddl]

I wouldn´t have eaten them as they were pink!

It could be the not properly cooked rather than being out of the fridge for so long.

Or the out of the fridge & then back in!

Out of interest, people who defrost meat-do you always do it in the fridge overnight?

[piprabbit]

I'm assuming that leaving the meat at room temp for almost 24 hours (overnight and morning, then chilling, then leaving out again once made into raw meatballs) would have given any bacteria plenty of time to multiply.

The 'pinkness' of the meatballs probably meant that they never got hot enough in the middle to kill the bacteria (which had been mixed through the meat twice, once during the production of the mince and again when he made the meatballs). This is why the advice is not to eat 'pink' sausages, burgers or meatballs.

So yes, I think that the meatballs have made the DP sick. The OP was very sensible not to eat them especially as she is pregnant. DP obviously needs to educate himself about safe food preparation, this is a good site for basics. Also, I think that the OP or her DP need to give the kitchen surfaces etc. a good clean down today - if his cleaning up was as sloppy as his food storage, he may have contaminated surfaces in the kitchen while prepping the meatballs.

And I'm not one who is usually too fussy about use-by dates etc.

[diddl]

Oh and you´re ungrateful because he cooked-(well not properly) & you didn´t want to eat it as it was still partly raw??

WTAF is that all about??

[CoolaSchmoola]

I would have slung the mince the next morning. Out for a couple of hours - fine. Out all evening, overnight and next morning in the house? Food poisoning pretty much guaranteed.

[diddl]

Ah yes-it´s OPs fault for not throwing the meat away

[Grapesoda]

Yes hazel. My dh does most of the cooking. But this man sounds like his time mightbe better spent doing something else.

[Rikalaily]

I'm pretty lax foodwise but there is no way I'd eat mince left out overnight unless it was out thawing, especially undercooked mince, mince needs to be cooked right through, it's not like a piece of steak. Mincing the meat mixes in loads of bacteria, you should never eat pink mince unless you know it's just been minced a few hours before then chilled properly.

[Startail]

Not when PG,
Otherwise I'd have "accidentally" let it go cold and slung it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until I was certain it was properly boiling and cooked through.

[SurroundedByBlue]

I cleaned the kitchen when I washed up so all germy surfaces are cleaned.

I do love a almost medium but pink in the middle steak, only since being pregnant though, I would eat it everyday if I could afford too I could.

I could have just thrown the mince away but it would t have been worth the argument which would've been similar to the one we had anyway (him thinking he is master chef and me being ungrateful) he can feel free to poison himself all he likes.

He is up and very grumpy. Seems to have recovered for the time being. I think it is best if we avoid each other today (not because of the meatball thing) because I am a bubbling pot of unreasonable resentfullness and he is in an arsey mood.

[Feelingood]

Make him read this thread!

[Feelingood]

Make him read this thread!

[TinyDancingHoofer]

I probably would have eaten it, because my kitchen is quite cold and i think a lot of people are over the top about use by dates. But i don't blame you for not eating it.

[HandbagCrab]

No offence op he sounds like an arse.

Grumpy with he heavily pregnant wife because she didn't eat his salmonella meatballs.

Grumpy with everyone generally if they don't worship his cooking at all times.

Makes a right mess of the kitchen and expects you to clean it up.

In the olden days, people didn't have fridges. I'm pretty sure if they did, they would have used them to keep things fresh rather than continue with the lottery of leaving things on the side and hoping for the best.

[BellaVita]

I would not have eaten them at all.

[hermioneweasley]

Would he really rather have made you ill for the sake of his pride?

You are growing another person, your organs are squished, you are carrying a baby, placenta, and extra pint of blood and a litre or so of amniotic fluid all day and night every day, and he dares complain?! I'd kick him in the nuts, upset stomach or not!

[DoItToJulia]

I am always surprised by how little regard people have to food hygiene ( or knowledge of he basics, either). Food poisoning can kill.

Minced meat should always be cooked thoroughly, just as pirabbit says, the bacteria that was on the outside if the meat is transferred throughout the meat once it is minced (hence sealing a steak, but it ok to be rare or bloody inside). Bacteria multiply fast at room temperature and then need to be cooked off thoroughly. (Note, not all bacteria responsible for food poisoning can be killed by normal cooking temps)

The bacteria can be salmonella, listeria or E. coli, all of which can be nasty and in the case of e.coli potentially fatal for non pregnant people.
Listeria can lead to problems for fetuses, not just the mother.

Do not take chances with food hygiene! And fwiw, salads are as high risk as meat for carrying food poisoning bacteria....always wash salad items!

[Chandon]

I know, it amazes me too.

After 24 hrs bacteria release toxins. These toxins can make you very sick. The bacteria will die with thorough cooking, but the toxins don't.

That is why, cooking green stinking mince would not make it o.k., for example.

[Littlemissexpecting]

I wouldn't have eaten it.
Have some and sounds like you also need a rest before this lo arrives

[FringeEvent]

Tee2072 you asked about £2 mince - I bought a 500g pack for £2 from Asda (online) on my last shop

[Fakebook]

Left out overnight, then left for further 4 hours. I would never have eaten that.

[ilovesprouts]

nope i would not .

[BigBoobiedBertha]

You can't eat raw mince. It is not the same as eating a rare steak. It is especially not worth eating if it has been out all night and then again later in the day. Your DH is an idiot for not considering that your immune system won't be as strong when you are pregnant too. No way was it worth the risk.

It does sound like he had food poisoning to me as well. You don't need to vomit to have food poisoning but it will always give you diarrhoea. I hope he has learnt his lesson.

Next time, OP, bin it rather than putting it in the fridge and then he won't have the option of cooking it!

[ouryve]

No. And I'm not pregnant.

It would have already gone off after the first time left out. Twice is just asking for food poisoning.