Defrosting frozen batch cooked food on the counter

[IfuckingHateIkea]

Have recently started batch cooking. This morning put out one of my pre cooked dinners which I froze on Saturday onto the kitchen counter to defrost. I heated it through till it was piping hot and we've eaten it. I'm now feeling paranoid that this is going to make us all ill! Has/does anyone else do this and lived to tell the tale?

Why? What's the problem? I do this all the time. I'm about to cook some chicken breasts that have been defrosting all day. Hopefully we'll survive!

Oh I don't know really. This is what my mum used to do and we were all fine although she her standards of household hygiene doesn't leave much to be desired . I just got all paranoid about it and then I googled it and apparently you shouldn't do it. But I feel abit better that I'm not the only one.

Why would it not be ok? How else are you supposed to defrost it?

I do this all the time, what am I doing wrong?

I do this every single day!

I do this all the time too! Fresh "ready meals".

Eh? What are you not supposed to do?
I make 2 lasagnes/cottage pies etc. freeze one. Get it out of the freezer in the morning. Go to work. Come home and in oven it goes.
How else are you supposed to do it?

I expect the approved method is to defrost it for longer in the fridge. However, at this time of year if nobody's at home all day the kitchen is likely to be very cool so I can't see what the problem is. At the height of summer, if your kitchen gets a lot of sun and heats up, maybe it would be a problem. Maybe. I'd probably still do it, though!

I do this all the time. In hot weather though I tend to leave it out part of the day and put it in the fridge the rest of the time so it doesn't defrost quickly and then start growing bacteria. At this time of year I leave it out all day though

Ideally you should defrost things in the fridge by taking them out 24 hrs before you cook them. If you leave things on the side, they will get warm on the outside when they are frozen on the inside and bacteria will start to multiply quicker than it would if the whole dish was refrigerated.