A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry
I Did Something Dumb
Posted: Nov 12, 2013
Okay, not as dumb in the scheme of dumb things a person can do, but here it goes. We have a very large freezer and buy things in bulk to save money. Often, we have to take stuff out in order to get to the item we want to defrost. In most cases, we remember to put all the stuff back that we took out, but every now and then, we forget something. This time, it was a 5-lb bag of sausage. It is commercially-bought sausage, so there are probably plenty of preservatives in there. Anyway, it was out for about 12 hours. I figure it took at least 6 hrs to thaw. When we found it, it was completely thawed and basically room temperature. We smelled it, and it smelled fine. We hemmed and hawed, and couldn't bear the thought of throwing out 5 lbs of sausage, so we decided to put it back into the freezer, then when we want to eat some, to NOT let it thaw on a counter, just nuke it to thaw it, then cook it immediately. We did not initally buy the sausage frozen, though there's always the possibility it was frozen once before. So, what do you all think? It was never exposed directly to air, but it was NOT vacuum sealed. ;
Oops! - I've done that too
[ In Reply To ..]That's the worst part about a freezer!!
I think it should be fine. Just be sure to cook it thoroughly.
cook it before putting it back in the freezer - done that too
[ In Reply To ..]My mother always told me you can only freeze something once, so if it thaws out, you cook it and then you freeze it. I asked a butcher at my local store about that recently (I was buying "fresh" chicken in bulk and asked if it had arrived frozen to the store) and he confirmed what my mom had told me.
You can brown it up and store it in one large freezer bag or several single-serve size baggies.
If ever defrosted, never put back in freezer - again. Might be okay but
[ In Reply To ..]with meat I never want to take that chance. I would have thrown away.
Never refreeze raw meat! - NYMT
[ In Reply To ..]What you could do is fry it up and freeze is after it's cooked and use it in recipes. It's really dangerous to refreeze raw meat (or so I've always been told, though I couldn't cite you a source other than my mother). I've done that several times myself, or had to deal with thawed meats after a power outage. Five pounds is a lot of sausage and if you want to get your money's worth that may be the way to go, although its uses may not be as versatile.
I know... - OP
[ In Reply To ..]Our thinking is that if we thaw it the second time around quickly (like in the microwave), the bacteria won't have a chance to multiply.
We've already re-frozen it. We put it down below the other stuff in the freezer so it would freeze faster.
I honestly would have cooked it up, but it was late at night and wasn't going to have time the next day to get to it.
I love my stand-alone freezer, but it's in a part of the house (the laundry room) that we don't go in often. Every now and then, something like this happens with our kitchen freezer food, but we see it soon enough before it has thawed. (Except when my husband puts it on top of the refrigerator instead of the counter, LOL.)
Crock pot maybe? - Please sm
[ In Reply To ..]I can understand not cooking if it was late. I would not want to either. For those in the know, could the meat have been tossed in the crock pot to cook overnight? Or is that not be a good idea since it was already sitting out a while, and it takes a while for the heat to build up.
Answer - OP
[ In Reply To ..]I always considered a crock pot to be a slow bacteria builder. Under normal circumstances, a crock pot might be an okay idea, but I think I'm going to do a quick thaw and quick cook on the sausage.
Crock pots give me the creeps, actually. I never take raw meat and cook it that slow in a warm, moist environment--which is what a crock-pot is. I have, however, cooked something to its fullest (like chili) on the stove, then kept it warm in the crock pot.
It would have been okay in the - crockpot
[ In Reply To ..]after it thawed, just as any other food. The problem (as with any cooking method) is the amount of time spent in the danger zone before it gets to above 165 degrees. If you put it in the crockpot and put it on high, it would come to temp fast, then you could lower the setting to low and let it cook for 4-5 hours. I have found the low setting on my crockpot is about 200 degrees, which is the setting I use for meat I want to tenderize in the oven like ribs or roasts on slow cooks. To help my crockpot come up to high fast, I place a clean tea towel on top of the lid to trap any escaping heat, then I return the setting to low and only use the towel around the edges of the lid and pot.
Thank you - OP
[ In Reply To ..]I did not know that. Thanks so much...!
It's not dangerous to refreeze meat - sm
[ In Reply To ..]The real problem is that it can change the taste/texture of the product. It's not a health hazard. Most of the "fresh" meat you take home and freeze has been previously frozen.
Well... - OP
[ In Reply To ..]...It's probably not the physical re-freezing, but the thawing process after. They say once something has been thawed, re-frozen, then thawed again, the bacteria multiply fast during the second thaw. For the second thaw, I intend to thaw it fast, like in the microwave, then cook it immediately after.
Had this whole thing occured at a more convenient time, I likely would have cooked up the batch on the stove to use in sausage and peppers, soups, etc., at a later time, then just re-frozen it in its cooked state.
This is correct - sm
[ In Reply To ..]It is only dangerous if the meat got too warm during thawing.
Your butcher should have had it thawing in a low temp cooler, not on your drainboard at room temp. You can bring it home and freeze it. The worst that will happen is that the texture gets funny from the ice crystals forming. You may notice hemoglobin diffusing out of bones, staining the meat next to the bone dark reddish gray or blue. That is the telltale sign of meat that has been frozen and thawed repeatedly.
Personally, I would find another butcher. What is the point if they buy it frozen to begin with??? Perhaps you can just buy it still frozen from him.
I shop where the chicken has never been frozen and is natural, with no additives or fluids pumped in. It is not more expensive.
sm - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Cook it and eat it. If no one gets sick, it's fine.
I may do a trial - OP
[ In Reply To ..]I may thaw out a link, cook it up, and eat it. If I live, everyone else should be okay, LOL.
Crumbles - shipwrecked
[ In Reply To ..]LOL! I pay good money to buy Jimmy Dean fully cooked frozen sausage crumbles. I use them all the time in recipes, like bubble-and-squeak, spaghetti sauce, on pizza, in omelets! Since there's so much fat in sausage, 5 pounds cooked won't take up much room
This is hot Italian sausage - OP
[ In Reply To ..]I'm hoping some of the "hot" will also act as a preservative.
Really, I know this isn't funny to many of you, but if I smell the least bit "decay" I will not eat it. I would imagine some bacteria started to grow after the thaw, but it takes a lot to get me or my husband sick....we seem to have iron stomachs. I can just imagine half the stuff we eat in restaurants and buffets are hardly perfectly okay, and we have managed to survive.
Suggestion - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Don't thaw it all. Test one link, preferably one that was thawed the longest. Thaw one under running cold water and see if it smells or if it is discolored inside. If it seems ok, cook it very well and eat some. If it seems ok and you live to tell the tale, you can go ahead with the rest.
Do not use a crockpot. Cook the sausage from a frozen start in a big pot, thawing as you cook. When it is browned, pour over boiling, i.e., already heated spaghetti sauce. Continue cooking until it is very well done. You can do that part in the oven.
Very little should have grown inside the sausage due to the preservatives. It isn't like ground meat, where it is already soaked through with bacteria. It is contained in a casing.
frozen meat - Ari
[ In Reply To ..]That meat needs to be cooked within 24 hours and eaten within 48. I would give it to a church maybe that cooks for the homeless. You will get so sick if you wait like a month and eat some. Food poisoning is AWFUL. It will make your dogs sick too.
Thanks everyone! - OP-nm
[ In Reply To ..]xx
Similar Messages:
US Too Dumb To Know Jul 14, 2011
US too dumb to know O is always right By MICHAEL GOODWIN Last Updated: 4:04 AM, July 13, 2011 Posted: 1:43 AM, July 13, 2011 When President Obama started talking at his news conference Monday, I listened intently for 15 minutes or so. Then I got fidgety as his half-truths about the debt grew into full-blown whoppers. As he droned on, I did something I never did before during an Obama appearance: I turned off the TV. Enough. He is the Man Who Won't Listen to Anybody, so why sh ...
How Dumb Are People?Nov 02, 2010
In Houstin, TX, we have a conservative group doing a "True the Vote" thing where they are there to make sure there is no fraud going on. As a conservative....this is just asking for trouble in my opinion. How can you detect fraud from standing outside? I guess unless you visibly watch every person that goes in to make sure the same person isn't going in....but seriously....how dumb. Now you have the New Black Panther Party retaliating and saying they will be there to ...
How Dumb Can The Dem Leadership Be?Aug 01, 2012
Wait - I lie. This is a GOOD decision. It will energize everyone in the liberal base that's one-billionth Cherokee. ...
Dumb QuestionJul 24, 2013
I have a really dumb question. I have moderately severe osteoarthritis of my hip. I am finding it increasingly difficult to sit at a desk or table for longer than 15 or 20 minutes at a time. I find I am fairly more comfortable sitting on my recliner sofa and it's easier on my hip. Do any of you work at a desk or table? Do you have any suggestions. Some nights it's almost unbearable to sit for any length of time especially when it rains. Thanks ahead of time. ...
Dumb As A Rock: US HighschoolersJan 12, 2012
Are we raising the stupidest generation in American history? The statistics that you are about to read below are incredibly shocking. They indicate that U.S. high school students are basically as dumb as a rock. As you read the rest of this article, you will be absolutely amazed at the things that U.S. high school students do not know. At this point, it is really hard to argue that the U.S. education system is a success. Our children are spoiled and lazy, our schoo ...
I Have A Dumb Question. Forgive Me, But I Do Not KnowJun 02, 2012
if you have an appt with a dr and it is in suite 6000, does that mean the 6th floor? TIA ...
Eastwood: "If They Were Dumb EnoughOct 13, 2012
In an interview on "Extra," Clint Eastwood talked about his big night at the RNC as the mystery guest: "If they were dumb enough to ask me to go to a political convention and say something, they're gonna have to take what they get." Clint sure does have an odd way of paying respects to his RNC hosts, the event and the audience. ...
Pelosi's Playing Dumb AGAIN!Dec 14, 2014
WASHINGTON – The man who oversaw the controversial CIA interrogation program defended the use of the techniques used on militants -- including waterboarding -- and said members of Congress, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, were “fully aware” of the methods used. “She never objected to the techniques at all,” Jose Rodriguez, former director of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, said on "Fox News Sunday." “All of these techniques were appro ...
Dumb As Bricks Texted Me Again. I Swear She HasMar 01, 2012
no clue. I am so irritated with her. I am not a rude person by nature, but after I said how it was NOT appreciated her constant texts/calls/dropping by, you would think she would get the hint! Apparently not!! Ah well. Wish I had a crystal ball when I first friended her. I wish she was on facebook so I could unfriend her! LOL!! This is bordering on harrassment. I am about to report her for harrassment if she keeps it up. I am going to see how ...
Dumb Blonde Jokes..curious How Mar 14, 2010
My mom told me it was because Marilyn Monroe always played a dumb blonde. Is this true, or did it start earlier? Just curious because I'm also a dumb blonde with an above-average IQ who graduated from college with honors. Yes, I have a sense of humor. Just curious. I guess I could always Google it. Dumb blonde jokes are very funny. But why can't it be a dumb brunette occasionally? There are lots and lots of those, too! Makes me question sometimes the ...
Looks Like Us Poor Dumb-sters From The South Nov 12, 2012
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/11/08/upside-down-flag-protests-over-election-sparking-controversy/ ...
Governor Mike Pence Is Either Very DumbMar 30, 2015
He refuses to state whether or not his idiotic "religious freedom law" will allow people to discriminate against gays. Of course it will. Good for all the businesses and athletes who are boycotting this law and the state. I am really getting sick of this being the "I Hate Obama" board, "no, I hate him more," "no, I REALLY hate him." If you think that's politics, it's not. It's just boring. So, anyone, what think you about this situation of governors approving laws that make it ...
Is Maxine Waters Really As Dumb As Nancy Pelosi?Mar 01, 2013
Or maybe just a liar? Maxine Waters makes dumbest point ever, claims 170 million jobs will be lost It wasn’t long ago that Nancy Pelosi claimed 500 million jobs would be lost per month if there was no government stimulus. Maxine Waters is taking a page from Skeletor’s book by claiming if no deal is made on the sequester cuts, 170 million jobs will be cut. Quite a claim considering only about 130 million people in America have jobs. ...
John Sununu Calls Chrissy Tingle Mathews Dumb (sm)Aug 14, 2012
straight to his face. LOL - wonder if he got a tingle down his leg from that. Doubt it. I haven't watched the video yet. Will later. I did see flipping channels last night Chrissy actually doing a commercial for Obamacare. Unbelievable. Journalism is dead. ...