Ice cream left out and slightly defrosted. Does it have to be thrown away?

[tortoise]

Its a nearly new tub and only felt soft at the bottom.
Will it be ok?

It will be ok as long as it wasn't too defrosted. If it was in anyway liquid, then it should be binned.

It needs to be eaten

eat it, all of it, especially as it has started to defrost at tjhe bottom

Not sure if the bottom was liquid. i couldn't see under the more solid top bit!

I would eat it but can't

Given that my MIL (God rest her soul) used to lightly defrost ice cream in the microvawe, serve some , then put it back into the freezer and no-one ever got ill, i'd say refreeze it

Depends how long it was left out for? I reckon it would need to be at room temperature for a good 4 hours to start to even think about being harmful.

The reason they tell you not to defrost and refreeze is that you get those ice crystal things forming and it makes it go a bit yuck but it won't kill you!

Thanks.
Sounds like it will be ok then.
It won't last long with 4 DC at home!

No the reason they tell you not to refreeze it is because of bacterial growth and food poisoning risks are not killed by refreezing.

But I do agree that is would need to be liquid for quite a while to allow the bacteria to grow. I'm sure it will be fine.

True but's that's if you were defrosting it and leaving it for hours to allow bacteria to grow, it's got a pretty high sugar content as well which would inhibit a lot of bacteria from growing. First thing to go would be the quality i.e the taste would be funny before it would actually harm you.

It was out about an hour i think so not too long.
It was mint choc chip!

the reason you wouldn't want to refreeze is that it impairs texture and flavour not because it would make you ill
it would have had to be at room temperature for hours before it started to maybe become a problem

and I mean the ice cream would have to feel like room temp not just be in a room temp place IYSWIM

My brother used to tell me that he had to scrape out and eat the soft icecream where it had melted at the sides of teh tub, because it went bad if it melted. Somehow he managed to persuade me that he was doing me a favour and protecting me, by eating the melted ice-cream. I think was about 6 or 7 before I realised that something wasn't quite right...

trinityrhino - thats what I wanted to say but you explained it better, my brain is fried tonight

tortoise - mint choc chip is my fav so if you don't want it sling it over here I had After Eight Ice Cream yesterday and it was fab. Why can't I crave healthy things like salad???

Sweetkitty DC might not be happy if i give it away .

I have know idea, bought an icecream in a zoo.....in same condition. It looks gross but ice.... what is the health and hygene with this?

DD1 will only eat pink ice cream as she's going through a pink phase right now. She wants pink fish fingers!

Lol! Thanks goodness my pink loving DD1 hasn't thought of that!