Oh fuck!! Fridge at at least 9 degrees, turkey inside.

[Flowersandhearts]

I have (diagnosed) severe OCD and emetophobia (vomit phobia) so this is a nightmare. We are staying in a holiday rental and I set the fridge to 2 degrees but someone turned it down to 'super' when the fresh turkey and pigs in blankets arrived yesterday morning, which frustratingly turns it up a lot.
I've been really busy and only just found out now. Items from the fridge don't feel cold and a meat thermometer is reading the air temperature at 9.5ish. I am so worried about food poisoning :-(

The rest of the family are not willing to forego our Christmas Dinner (I'm living with family so it's not my call to make and don't have kids of my own) but I think I'll avoid eating it. How likely do you think it is that everyone is going to get sick?

Just cook it and let the others eat it and you just miss out the bits you’re worried about. Drama over.

Put the food back in the fridge !! And leave the door sHUT you’ll be fine

The air temp in the fridge is warm because you keep opening the door. Close the door. Use a proper food thermometer to measure the inner temperature of the actual food.
Keep the door closed.

I say this as a fellow emetophobe, I mean this kindly, yabvu. The air temperature in the fridge fluctuates greatly each time you open the door so stop opening it and mucking about in there!

Leave the fridge alone now

Close the fridge, stop faffing about obsessing over the temperature, cook everything thoroughly tomorrow and have a good Christmas. It's your panic speaking, it's not 'objectively a food safety issue'. Chill out (no pun intended).

Close the fridge and stop heating it up. Stick some frozen bits in there if you like to take the temp down slightly. Don’t throw things out and ruin your family’s dinner, that would be selfish

A meat thermometer is unlikely to be accurate at that level. They are designed to be used when cooking.

Leave the door closed, it won’t cool down if you keep opening it, give it a couple of hours and check it again if you must, but it’ll be fine!

@LIZS

A meat thermometer is unlikely to be accurate at that level. They are designed to be used when cooking.

This is literally incorrect. Food thermometers are used to check catering salads in serving fridges. www.thespruceeats.com/types-of-kitchen-thermometers-and-their-uses-4160094

Ban yourself from opening the fridge door again until 11pm at the earliest. I know you don't mean to but you're making it worse by repeatedly checking it because you're not allowing the temperature to get lower properly.

Meat thermometers do not measure air temperature accurately.

Super chills things down quicker, as it stops the pump switching off.

You are overreacting, making incorrect assumptions and will end up going hungry for no reason whatsoever.

@LIZS

A meat thermometer is unlikely to be accurate at that level. They are designed to be used when cooking.

Sorry, I thought this was in reply to my suggestion about a food thermometer. I agree that the OP shouldn't have used a meat thermometer to check the air temperature without sticking it into the food.

How does turning it to 'super' warm a fridge up? I don't understand that.

And surely, opening the the door every 2 minutes to check the temperature isn't helping?

My mum had OCD (diagnosed and hospitalised as a result). I am sympathetic but I did find it very hard to live with.

Let them eat the turkey & pigs. They are adults and can make their own choices.

You choose which bits you feel ok with to eat. Ask them not to comment about your plate.

Now do your best to put it from your mind. I hope you've had some support previously and have techniques to help yourself feel a bit better.

Our turkey has been defrosting at room temp for 24 hours because we've no room in the fridge and I'll be eating every scrap of meat on the yummy little bugger.

Have you had or undergoing treatment for this because frankly it sounds a very miserable way to live Christmas dinner or not.

In the kindest way OP, put the thermometer away and calm down.

Don't eat the meat if you're worried, but don't ruin everyone else's day over your phobia.

So don’t eat it.

Cooking properly will kill all the bacteria.

Don’t spoil everyone’s Christmas over something irrational.

and a meat thermometer is reading the air temperature at 9.5ish

A meat thermometer shouldn't be used to read air temperatures.

If you don't want to eat the meat OP that's fine, but leave everyone else to enjoy their Christmas Dinner.

Meat can remain edible for a long time, even at room temperature.

Cool storage is much more important for processed foods like pates, pork pies, etc. That's because of the potential for there to be bacterial contamination throughout the product, whereas the meat can only be contaminated on the outside so much harder for the bacteria to multiply.

I'd eat the turkey but avoid other things.

I'm the same as you, also diagnosed. Wouldn't be eating any of it. Would also be preparing to sleep in the car if everyone gets ill, the sounds and suffering would send me over the edge. Don't think I could sit at the table either tbh. I'm so sorry this has happened to you

I think it's just fine for them to eat it and you not to - it sounds like you won't feel relaxed if you eat it, and it sounds like they are determined to. (Personally, I probably wouldn't eat it but I know most people would be happy to and, probably in all likelihood, it would be ok... I just wouldn't feel ok about it, just like you.)

Genuine question, how do you check the temp on each shelf?? I've never done it, am I missing something?

I'd do as pp suggested, empty stuff that doesn't need to be there, drop the temp, close the door and leave it be. I'd get on the Bailey's too.

The alternative is surely to cook it asap?

Honestly, it will be fine.

@Flowersandhearts

What would you do?

Take out the cheese, veg, pickles, drinks and anything else that isn't meat fish or milk and put it somewhere cool (car, shed etc) so it's not overstuffed.

Then get a drink, close the door and forget about it.

I used to do a lot of, uhhhh, outdoor catering. By which I mean live chicken to finished dish.

We'd routinely hang the gutted chickens up by their feet from the rafters for a day or two before plucking and cooking. Definitely not in the fridge. In summer.

They were fine. We were fine. A turkey kept at 9 degrees will be fine. You will be fine.

Pate I might be a bit twitchy about. But I'd have no concerns at all about the turkey.