Food safety question.

[TNDemo]

Tuesday night I bought a 3 pound frozen turkey breast and put it in the fridge to thaw and promptly forgot about it. Has it been in the fridge too long to be safe to cook now? Should I just ditch it?

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Smell it

Give it the nose test - if it smells okay, it's okay.

That's the final truth.

[radwriter0555]

8. I agree, the nose knows. But, when in doubt, throw it out... Chances are

that's it's perfectly fine, however.

But if she smells funky, toss her out.

[supernova]

2. Two questions?

1) What's the expiration date on it?

2) Is it thawed out now?

[TNDemo]

3. I don't know the expiration date.

As soon as I took the wrapper off and put it in the trash my husband took the trash out. Yes, it is thawed now. I would imagine since it is only 3 pounds that it was probably thawed by Wednesday night.

[miss_kitty]

4. I'll bet it's ok

you can tell a lot by the smell. You defrosted it correctly. So it was ultra cold for awhile, and depending on your refrigerator ambient temp, the frequency with which the door has been opened, the storage location of the breast (up higher is better-door, not so good), how full the fridge has been, if you put warm food in...

Sniff test-that's what I recommend.

[Nikia]

5. It might be alright

When I worked fast food, we put frozen meat in the cooler for a minimum of three days to thaw and maximum of six days to use. By that criteria, you could use it today. Of course, depending on your fridge, it might not stay as cool as the cooler at the restaurant. Is it with skin or without skin? In poultry, the skin holds the most bacteria. Poultry without skin usually has relatively low bacteria to begin with. If you do cook it, you might want to cook it a little longer or hotter than usual.

[pitohui]

6. maybe call & ask the usda

i don't know how current this phone number is but try it--

U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline: [phone]. Personal assistance with all meat and poultry preparation and cooking questions, year-round weekdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Automated service available 24 hours a day.

for a large turkey, i'd say fine if you started roasting today, but for a little ol 3 pound i don't myself know the answer

call the usda

[Midlodemocrat]

7. Personally, I think it is probably okay.

My fridge doesn't defrost well because I like to keep the drinks in it really cold, so I would bet it is okay.

Just in case, call the number on the tag and ask them. They can give you a definitive answer.

[brook]

9. if it...

stayed at 40 degrees or less, it ought to be okay.I'd rinse it really well in cold water and roast it today, though. Make sure it's cooked thoroughly.

[auntAgonist]

10. I would think that it's fine.

You defrosted it in the fridge and it never sat out at room temp.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

11. Ditch it

Poultry is dangerous.

Turkey's cheap - getting over food poisoning isn't.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. i agree

[caty]

13. Check out:

http://www.pastrywiz.com/storage/refridgerated.htm

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. I'd likewise give it the sniff test.....

Seems to me that it's safe, probably.....

As the other posters recommend, cook it today, and very well done...

:hi:

[I Have A Dream]

15. I think that it would be OK.

I'm a vegetarian now, but when I ate meat, I often bought meat early in the week and cooked it on Sunday. I never had a problem.