I have a 2kg joint of pork which I took out of freezer last night and kept of the kitchen counter. I was wondering is it safe to now put back in the bottom of fridge to continue the safe defrosting proceedure? Or should I throw the joint away?
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1Food should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours. While the joint was likely cold, the potential exists for the surface of the meat to have been at room temperature for well over that time. The safest option is to throw it out.– ElendilTheTallCommented Jul 3, 2014 at 10:04
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1 Answer
Frozen food should always be thawed in the refrigerator no matter what, here's an explanatioon :
frozen food put on the counter will defrost quicker than in the fridge , but bacteria activities will occur, now bacteria activities will occur no matter what, but if you keep it in the fridge the amount of bacteria will be less than if you left it on the counter.
That being said, I would check what the temperature on the surface is, if it's between 2 and 5 degree celcius than I would assume it would be safe for consumption if you let it finish defrosting in the refrigerator, otherwise might as well throw it away because when you get to the point of completely thawing your joint on the counter, the surface will be swarmed with bacterias and will most likely make you sick.
So in a shell : temperature on the surface is key.
Hope it's not too late !
