Scared!!!/Ate chicken that was left defrosting on counter for hours.

[Leslie735]

I was just at a friend's house earlier tonight and she cooked dinner. She made a whole chicken, the small ones "young chicken." After I ate some, not much a few bites, I asked her how she made it because it was so good. She says she bought it a couple weeks ago and put it in her freezer (I pray right away). She said she pulled it out of the freezer yesterday and let it sit out on the counter all day then put it the fridge last night. Then this morning let it sit out for a couple hours then cooked it while I was there. I'm completely freaking out!!! I always defrost things in the fridge, never on the counter. Im so scared! We are going to a water park tomorrow all day, I was excited but now I'm scared to go.

[SiMama]

Yeah, I'll be honest, I would be freaking out too. But I know I have eaten Thanksgiving turkeys that were improperly thawed in the sink. I never got sick even though it is a big 'no-no.' I saw the family I nannied for thaw chicken on the counter for over 8 hours. They were OK. You will be OK too. I would think FP would show up within 12 hours or sooner. Try to enjoy your day tomorrow!

[jmoore10]

I defrost meats all the time in the sink, usually for a few hours during the day until it thaws, and then stick it in the fridge til I'm ready to make dinner. We've never gotten sick, although the meat is always still cold or cool to the touch when it goes back in the fridge.
I don't think you have anything to worry about

[Hannah A.]

My dad does stuff like this all the time and has been for years.. Never gotten sick from it.

[Leslie735]

Thank you everyone!!! I was starting to panic!

[Afdpt]

While I always thaw my food in the fridge, I know that my mother and grandmother both always thaw their meat on the counter. I've eaten more meals prepared by them than anyone else and I'm pretty sure we never got sick from it.

[socitycourty]

my grandpa always thaws like this and I ate at his house a bunch of times (not without anxiety!) but never got sick from that. hugs!

[NaiveAndTrue]

It's perfectly fine. I didn't even know there was any other way to defrost meat. LOL. As long as it's cooked, it's fine. You'd be in more trouble trying to cook it frozen, because the center may not get up to temperature.