Question About Thawing Food!?! Please Help!

No food that normally requires refrigeration but is left out all night should be eaten! This is risking serious bacterial illness. Sorry, but it needs to be thrown out.

I don't know what's up with men about this, but my ex was/is the worst about food safety. Then he gets really mad if you tell him you can't do that.

Here's a link with tips and rules: http://life.familyeducation.com/foods/safety/36570.html

It says "NEVER defrost perishable foods (meat, poultry, fish/seafood, dairy, eggs) outdoors, in a cold room in the house or on the kitchen counter."

Depends. If the outside is still very cold to the touch, pop it back in the fridge right now (this assumes the food surface is still enclosed in a container). If the outside is warn, then probably not.

if it was totally thawed by the time you found it, throw it out. sorry :( if it was partially frozen still, or even very cold still, then it might be okay. with all that sour cream and meat you don't want to chance it. way to go dh! lol. i think that means it's his turn to cook ;)

If it is warm, throw it away! If its cold its fine.

At least he was thinking of you and wanted to help....LOL!!!

Is it all cooked and prepared and just frozen to use when you need them? I think it will be ok , I know uncooked meat needs to be defrosted overnight in the fridge , or if I forget to take it out the night before I have left it out to defrost which is fine if you are cooking straight away , what you can't do it leave it out to defrost so it is room temperature and then put it into the fridge.

Throw it out. Even if it is still cold to the touch or frosty in the middle, it isn't safe. The outer parts of the enchiladas have absolutely made it to an unsafe temp. Food has to be kept below 40 degrees. All parts of it, not just the center. If any part has been above 40 degrees for 2 hours or more, it has started to breed bacteria. I used to teach those food safety classes, and with the meat and dairy, no way would I chance it.

If it's still cold to the touch, it should be ok. If it's room temp, I'd probably throw it away. If it's not cooked at all, get rid of it regardless.

Fridge is always best to unthaw because it lets the meat thaw slowly which means no bacteria will get a chance to grow on it.

With that I do sometimes place meat or other foods on a clean surface (still in its bag) to thaw if I forgot to put it in the fridge the previous night, it only sits out a few hours before I cook it/use it right away.

My rule of thumb if the item is still cold when you touch it, the item should still be good to eat. It usually only takes 4-6 hrs for something to thaw when left out of fridge/freezer so I am not sure the enchilladas will be good any more in left out all night. The item has to be completely cool all over for me to trust that it is still good enough to use/make.

I know that the experts say that the correct way is to defrost in fridge, but I'm not a huge stickler. I leave leftovers in the fridge for at least a week before I think about throwing it out, and I'm the WORST at leaving dinner out for 3-4 hours before remembering that I need to put leftovers in the fridge. We've never gotten sick. If it was me, I would totally put them in the fridge and cook them for dinner. Especially if they were still cool to the touch when you found them.

I've worked in a bakery and we were told to NEVER leave anything out longer than 4 hours. After 4 hours the bad bacteria will start to grow. The safest way to thaw things is either in the fridge over night, or in a sink with luke warm water. I don't think I would eat the meat that your husband left out.

If it is still partially frozen and cold to the touch, it is fine. If it has gotten to room temp, toss it!
I once put a roast in the crock pot with all the fixins, and instead of turning it on low, turned it on warm. Had to throw out the entire thing when I got home. Darn!

Throw it out! My husband told stories of when he was younger. His mother left hamburger out on the counter to thaw and would cook it 8 hours later ... he called it "barf-a-roni" because he and his siblings always got sick from it (even the dog!). Better be safe than sorry.

No no no! Spare yourself on mother's day! :)

Put it in the fridge now and cook later. it should be fine.

Yes, absolutely. When you bake it, just chill the leftovers for another day.