Salmonella for the new year?

December 31, 2009 9:34 AM

sigh... Can I eat it? Frozen then fridge-thawed Chicken edition. Complication: power outage.

I took the chicken (4 boneless, skinless breasts) from the freezer, put it into the fridge to thaw on Monday. It was still frozen by Monday's dinner, so I figured I would cook it Tuesday.

Tuesday the power went out at the house for 2 hours. The fridge was not opened, and was 40 degrees F when the power came back on.

For various reasons, I haven't cooked it yet. Can I cook it safely today? A chicken tikka masala loving six year old is very interested.

posted by frecklefaerie to food & drink (13 answers total)

Yes, you can safely cook & eat it. Enjoy!
posted by torquemaniac at 9:37 AM on December 31, 2009

I usually err on the side of “chicken is too cheap to take a risk on”
posted by Think_Long at 9:38 AM on December 31, 2009

I would eat it. Someone told me that a fridge (unopened) will keep everything cold for 24 hours after a power outage. I don't know if it's true, but it seems to be a good guideline.
posted by cranberrymonger at 9:39 AM on December 31, 2009

I'm sure it'll be fine. Since you're going to cook it, really the worst case scenario is that it tastes off when it's served, because the cooking should kill pretty much any bacteria that may have taken up residence. If it tastes off, throw it out of course, but don't worry that you'll get sick.
posted by cerebus19 at 9:41 AM on December 31, 2009

Cook it thoroughly of course.
posted by dfriedman at 9:44 AM on December 31, 2009

totally ok!
posted by special-k at 9:51 AM on December 31, 2009

Two hours with the door closed? I would eat it without a second thought (and I'm usually on the "not worth the risk" side of these things, as well as very cautious with chicken)!
posted by crabintheocean at 9:55 AM on December 31, 2009 [1 favorite]

I would eat it.
posted by Lobster Garden at 10:03 AM on December 31, 2009

I wouldn't eat it, not because of safety- because of the taste. Frozen chicken thawed and cooked tastes terrible.
posted by Zambrano at 10:35 AM on December 31, 2009

I would give it the old smell test and if it smells all right -- and tastes all right with your first bite -- go ahead. Unless you are going to worry about it after that, in which case throw it out and enjoy peace of mind.
posted by bearwife at 11:13 AM on December 31, 2009

You're totally safe. Even considering commercial food health/safety guidelines, this is still ok.
posted by BradNelson at 12:00 PM on December 31, 2009

Here's a nice chart from the USDA of what to keep/toss after a power outage (scroll down past the FAQs). Since it didn't get above 40F, and even if it had, it was only two hours, you should be good to go.

I have a flier on my fridge much like this one (PDF) - very handy for power outages!
posted by epersonae at 3:10 PM on December 31, 2009

Thanks, everyone! I'm cooking it now!

Zambrano: I totally agree with you. That's why I usually cook it in some kind of yummy/strong sauce.
posted by frecklefaerie at 3:10 PM on December 31, 2009