Would you eat this? - Stupid me!

amynicole21 wrote: I got a big ham from a vendor yesterday (I get one from him every year). He had 2nd day aired it from the smokehouse and it arrived yesterday morning. I forgot to put it in the fridge despite the warnings to refridgerate immediately, and left it at the office overnight. When I got in this morning I saw it an put it in the refridgerator, but it didn't feel cool to the touch anymore. It is fully cooked already, and vacuum sealed. Would you still eat it for Christmas dinner?

kimberley replied: i would but that is just me. if you are cooking it, any germs/bacteria should be gone (not that they had that much time to accumulate anyway). from DH working in a food warehouse and knowing people who worked in grocery stores, i can tell you half the meat you buy sits on a dock or waiting to be packaged/put away for much longer than it is recommended. summer months, many frozen meats often semi defrost before being refrozen in the store too. like the speed limit, i think it's a guideline you shouldn't pass but if you do by a small bit, you should still be ok.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Ditto to what Kim said.

I usually leave meat OUT out overnight to thaw... as in - on the counter and not in the fridge.. and it's fine. Mind you - my overnight is from 1am to 9am......so it might not be as long as what your ham was left out.

luvbug00 replied:

I'm now offically a vegitarian

I would think it'd be ok, but I'd cook it again just to be safe..

kimberley replied:
ur too funny!

C&K*s Mommie replied: I say go for it too! Especially since Kimberley revealed the truth about meat stocking. Which I did not know that they did that.

But if we are all okay, even after warehouse people leave meats exposed to the elements, I say go for it!!

MommyToAshley replied: Honestly, I probaby wouldn't eat it because I am just really paranoid about that kind of thing. DH wouldn't let me serve it to Ashley, he is even more particular than me. It's probably fine and most people would eat it, but like I said, we're just paranoid.

I've done stuff like that before and get so mad at myself. I hate to waste food, but it just happens sometimes... don't beat yourself up over it.

MommyToAshley replied:

I'm right behind you.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: No way! My sister is a dietician and freaks out if something sits out for longer than an hour. I left Wil's milk out the other morning for about three hours and still threw it out. But that's just me!

Sorry that happened. But I wouldn't take the risk personally.

BTW, I love your siggy Amy! The girls are so cute...so grown up!

amynicole21 replied: Ok, so I called the smokehouse to get their opinion. They mailed it frozen on the 15th, it got there on the 19th and I left it out until the 20th. The customer service lady said no problem, they leave them out longer than that at the factory, and it's cooked and sealed. So I guess I'm in the clear!

Thanks for your input guys!

A&A'smommy replied: LOL wow thanks for the info Kimberely LOL Amy I'm glad your in the clear BTW i LOVE your new siggy!!!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
I'm shocked, but I guess smoked meats do last forever. We got a box of smoked salmon from one of DHs colleagues and I thought it was strange that you can just put it on a shelf until you open it. He ate it, I didn't, but he's fine!

Glad you can enjoy what you paid for!