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Thawed chicken on fri, is it still ok to cook?

florida Nick
florida Nick Posts: 101
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
So I thawed some chicken thighs around midnight on friday and put them in a ziplock with some wing sauce, planned on cooking them saturday but didn't.
They have been in the fridge in the ziplock with the wing sauce since then. Is it still ok to cook and eat them or do they need to be tossed?
Thanks

Comments

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    why would they need to be tossed?
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    How did you defrost them? Were they on a counter outside the refrigerator? How long were they out. If you defrosted them in the fridge and they were always below 40 degrees they are fine. If they came to room temp for a few hours, they might be a problem.

    Barry
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
  • BamaEGG
    BamaEGG Posts: 170
    This is a good topic. I thaw things all the time in the fridge and sometimes don't cook when I planned but a day or two later. My wife is always hounding me about the meat going bad if I don't cook it within a couple of days from thawing.

    Are you saying that as long as the temp stayed below 40 degrees that the meat can go longer than a couple of days? Any thoughts on how long it can go?

    I recently started using a food saver and freeze everything when I get it. If I thaw it in the food saver in theory it should be able to go even longer than normal in the fridge right?
  • Shiff,
    they were out of the fridge and partially defrosted for a couple of hours. By the time I put the sauce on them and put them back in the fridge they were still somewhat frozen, only partially defrosted, definitely still cold to the touch.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    there is "fresh" and there is "safe".

    if it's kept under 40, it will be safe for a long time.

    i never can understand why folks worry about the chicken being in there for 4 days, but not the eggs (or milk, or butter) sitting in there with them. how long has that last dozen eggs been hanging around?

    salmonella, in the past ten years or so, has become virulent enough to pass into the eggs. never was there before, but it can be there now. credit the over-packed hen houses. so if you toss the chicken. toss the eggs. might as well toss the milk, too. frankly, the spinach and tomatoes need to go also. the last cases of food poisoning from salmonella that caused any fuss were all vegetable related.

    anyway.... it's safe, as long as it has been properly stored.

    it's as much a sin to throw things out when they are safe as it is to let them go bad. different sides of the same coin. folks would do themselves a good service to not go by guesswork on this, and really read up on it.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    I am not a food safety expert. If I bought chicken at the market on Friday, I would expect to use it before today. In general, if I don't plan on eating the meat and poultry I buy in the next 2 days, I freeze it. In your situation, was it frozen right after you bought it, or did it sit in the fridge a few days before you froze it? Lots of different possibilities.

    Chicken is a meat that can cause problems if not handled correctly.

    I believe it has been stated by others that the danger zone for meat is more than 4 hours in the range of 40-140.

    Maybe others can provide better information.

    Barry
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    Heck, you're good for a week.
  • doccjb
    doccjb Posts: 238
    Should be fine as long as they remained refrigerated the whole time. The chicken breasts I just posted went into marinade on Friday afternoon, and I didnt get around to cooking them until Monday night.
  • Great! Now I have to worry about milk, butter, and eggs.
    Please tell me I can leave the beer....
  • icz
    icz Posts: 6
    I know this chicken has long been consumed or disposed of, but if it was out of the fridge in that time, I'd dump it. But, I'm a little OCD like that. Also, my understanding is 2 hours between 40 - 140 is the max, not 4 as previously posted.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    hell no. my point is not to worry at all. hahaha

    the beer will even help that.

    here's a good thing about beer. jimmy carter un-did the prohibition-era law that forbade homebrewing because no toxic organisms can live in beer or wine. drink up!
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante