Left turkey out overnight, is it okay?

It'll be fine ... You're going to cook it anyway ...

If it was cold in the refrigerator, then everyone would say it is fine.

If it is still cold on the counter, people freak out.

Does anyone else logic? If it's still cold, then of course it's just fine. If it got up to room temperature, then definitely no, but it didn't.

Seriously....

Tim - I'm actually quite involved in a commercial kitchen environment with supporting education to back up what I said. Yes, human nature tells you if it still feels cold that it's OK.

Science has proven that when it sits out at room temperature for more than 2 hours it can fester bacteria. I didn't make this up. Sorry. I also said it CAN not that it WILL! You would be surprised to know the food risks that are present when temperature is just a few degrees to high or too low.

Do whatever you want with the turkey.

Edited to add reference: http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/bloopers.html

THIS!! I am a chef - do NOT eat that turkey! Any of you who thaw it on the countertop or in water are lucky as hell you have never gotten sick. My only guess as to why is because you likely overcook your bird as well. The only safe way to thaw something as large as a turkey is in the refrigerator for 2-4 days, then it must cook to a temperature of 165 (after resting for at least 20 minutes). Invest in an instant read thermometer and the time needed to thaw the bird properly.

Oh there is sooo much more on this, but I'll stop there.

You are correct. I have been leaving turkey, beef, chicken out on my counter throughout my entire life as did my mother and her mother and every time we have ever cooked meat, we have overcooked it. That seems very plausible.

:insertsarcasm:

just make sure you get it in the fridge. NO stuffing, and make sure the internal temperature is +165deg F use a thermometer away from any bones checking in the breast or thighs

If it was cold in the refrigerator, then everyone would say it is fine.

If it is still cold on the counter, people freak out.

Does anyone else logic? If it's still cold, then of course it's just fine. If it got up to room temperature, then definitely no, but it didn't.

Seriously....

Tim - I'm actually quite involved in a commercial kitchen environment with supporting education to back up what I said. Yes, human nature tells you if it still feels cold that it's OK.

Science has proven that when it sits out at room temperature for more than 2 hours it can fester bacteria. I didn't make this up. Sorry. I also said it CAN not that it WILL! You would be surprised to know the food risks that are present when temperature is just a few degrees to high or too low.

Do whatever you want with the turkey.

Edited to add reference: http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/bloopers.html

THIS!! I am a chef - do NOT eat that turkey! Any of you who thaw it on the countertop or in water are lucky as hell you have never gotten sick. My only guess as to why is because you likely overcook your bird as well. The only safe way to thaw something as large as a turkey is in the refrigerator for 2-4 days, then it must cook to a temperature of 165 (after resting for at least 20 minutes). Invest in an instant read thermometer and the time needed to thaw the bird properly.

Oh there is sooo much more on this, but I'll stop there.

I went to culinary school too ... I would eat it ... She's not serving people in a restaurant, i.e. people who could sue her (which is one of the reasons the food safety rules are so strict, that any you don't know who will be walking through your doors and what medical issues they may have, with family members, you most likely know these things ... Some of them make sense and should be practiced in the home kitchen, like avoiding cross-contamination and keeping meat on the bottom of the fridge, away from foods that you'll be serving raw ... hand-washing, etc.) ...

Just make sure you cook the turkey all the way through, t0 165 degrees F ... As long as no one in your family is severly immunocompromised, you will be fine ... Ran this one past my mom (an RN) as well ... A former culinary professional (now turned fitness professional) and an RN say you'll be fine ... If the turkey wasn't still cold, I'd say no, but it was still cold, and probably sozen in the middle, as I doubt the temperature in you house above 75 degrees ..

ETA: Also, my hunter family members and friends will kill a deer and let it sit there all day until they are done hunting, then sit even longer on the drive home to string it up ... Meat left out WAY past the 4 hour refrigeration time window ... None of use have died from food-borne illness, nor have gotten sick ... And I usually cook that venison by just searing the outside, leaving it nice and bloody-rare in the middle ...

I would eat it, Just make sure it is cooked to internal temp of 165 and you will be just fine... Best of Luck

OH NOES!

It's dog food.

I would cook and eat it without a second thought.

We've left out stuff to thaw and leftovers in the kitchen all the time whilst I was growing up. I've had food poisoning once, and that was actually because my cat had it and cross contamination somewhere.

The turkey will be fine. Cook it well as usual...no problems.

If it was cold in the refrigerator, then everyone would say it is fine.

If it is still cold on the counter, people freak out.

Does anyone else logic? If it's still cold, then of course it's just fine. If it got up to room temperature, then definitely no, but it didn't.

Seriously....

Tim - I'm actually quite involved in a commercial kitchen environment with supporting education to back up what I said. Yes, human nature tells you if it still feels cold that it's OK.

Science has proven that when it sits out at room temperature for more than 2 hours it can fester bacteria. I didn't make this up. Sorry. I also said it CAN not that it WILL! You would be surprised to know the food risks that are present when temperature is just a few degrees to high or too low.

Do whatever you want with the turkey.

Edited to add reference: http://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/bloopers.html

THIS!! I am a chef - do NOT eat that turkey! Any of you who thaw it on the countertop or in water are lucky as hell you have never gotten sick. My only guess as to why is because you likely overcook your bird as well. The only safe way to thaw something as large as a turkey is in the refrigerator for 2-4 days, then it must cook to a temperature of 165 (after resting for at least 20 minutes). Invest in an instant read thermometer and the time needed to thaw the bird properly.

Oh there is sooo much more on this, but I'll stop there.

Please do, it's silly. 25 years of cooking two turkeys a year and thawed overnight in a sink with no water and NO one has ever gotten sick from it. With a minimum of 4 people eating over those 25 years, it's pretty damn good odds it's safe to eat. This is just from one household. I'm sure there are plenty of others who do this and survive, some may have gotten sick but they really didn't cook it to the right temp with stuffing the bird.

Technically speaking, it is at a higher risk.

I own/operate two restaurants and a catering company and this is completely unacceptable. Will it make you sick? Probably not, but the chances are much much higher that it will.

Meat should be thawed in a fridge or under COLD running water and the second option is not ideal either.

Hope it turns out regardless of what you do.

OMG I can't believe people here would eat a turkey left at ROOM TEMPERATURE overnight! Please please don't eat it...and if you DO decide to cook it? PLEASE TELL EVERYONE BEFORE *THEY* EAT IT!

OMG I can't believe people here would eat a turkey left at ROOM TEMPERATURE overnight! Please please don't eat it...and if you DO decide to cook it? PLEASE TELL EVERYONE BEFORE *THEY* EAT IT!

it's not like they left it out overnight and it's now AT room temperature. it's still cold and probably still frozen on the inside.

Nope Sorry ya can't convince me to eat poultry left at room temp for that long! Turkey is not that expensive....toss it out and get 'nuther one.

On average, you're going to cook a 20 lb-ish turkey at 325 degrees for 6 - 6.5 hours until a meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees. That should kill anything that may have sprouted while your turkey was thawing.

Honestly, I think people do freak out about food cleanliness in general. We're living in a 1st world country, our food is literally the cleanest in the world. Also, our bodies have natural defenses against food-born pathogens and bacteria. Put those together and add the fact that all you did was thaw the damn thing, I bet you'll be fine.

I have just asked my husband who is a microbiologist and he said it will be fine don't worry. We pay absolutely no attentio to use by or sell by dates either. If it smells fine just eat it.