Sausage left to thaw more than 2 hours - is this safe to eat? [duplicate]

I have a package of sausage that I intended to use yesterday. It was taken out of the freezer to thaw at about 4 o' clock. At 9 o' clock it felt fully thawed but we ended up putting it back in the refrigerator where it sits as we speak. When used the sausage is going to be baked in the oven for half an hour. Are we safe to eat this?

food-safety meat

Best Answer

The rule of thumb is over 40 F for more than 4 hours. At best small portion of the sausage was over 40 F for 4+ hours. If bad stuff happened then baking will not fix it. I would eat it.

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Quick Answer about "Sausage left to thaw more than 2 hours - is this safe to eat? [duplicate]"

The rule of thumb is over 40 F for more than 4 hours. At best small portion of the sausage was over 40 F for 4+ hours. If bad stuff happened then baking will not fix it.

How long can thawed sausage stay out?

Thawed sausages can be refrozen as long as they haven't sat out for longer than 1-2 hours. (If so, they should be thrown away.)

Can you defrost sausages twice?

The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) advises: Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods.

Can sausage be refrozen after thawing?

Sausage of any kind -- cooked, raw, in casings or in bulk -- can be refrozen after being thawed -- as long as you follow some rules. Freezing doesn't destroy bacteria and ground meat products, like sausage, are more easily contaminated than whole cuts of meat.

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