Food Safety Help

[TickTockMan]

Long story short my freezer quit working and everything unthawed.


My frozen chicken leaked juice which my hamburger sat in without me knowing about it. I use paper wrap so it did soak thru. Do you think it is still safe to eat or should I chuck it?

 

[kallipolis]

Salmonella has a rapid incubation period.

Vomiting, and diarrhea are best avoided.

Prudence is recommended. Chuck.

 

[justsimon]

Has the burger already been cooked?

 

[EJMichaels]

freezer power outage guidelines from the USDA

 

[Paws]

Go vegan.



/10chars

 

[Sam Blum]

That would be an extreme decision. Besides, one can get food poisoning from vegan foods as well.

When I was 24 a series of food poisonings actually led me back to eating animal products. Every time I ate soy or nut products, from various sources, I would end up hurling! Even the tinned proteins were making me ill.

Never risk food.

 

[mygaybuffet]

freezer power outage guidelines from the USDA

"When in doubt, throw it out."

Very good recommendations!! At the end of the day just use your common sense!!

 

[TickTockMan]

Thanks.












....................................................,..........................................

 

[zoltanspawn]

I don't work on food safety issues for a living. But I do work with food safety issues for a living.

The short answer for the home consumer is: when in doubt throw it out.

The longer answer depends on stuff like how long it took the chicken to defrost and how long you'd prefer to cook the hamburger. In general, though, thawing chicken should take place UNDER 40 degrees. If the chicken ever warmed and dripped into the hamburger in an environment above 40 degrees, throw it away definitely. After those factors, it would be best to cook the hamburger to a finished temperature above 165.

If you don't have a probe thermometer to check on stuff like that, I'd just compost everything and not fret.