Are semi-frozen meat and vegetables safe to cook?
My refrigerator maintains a temperature between 0-5 degrees C. However, I quite often find that carrots, mushrooms etc. stored in the salad drawer are either coated in ice, or semi-frozen. Today I found some chicken that had been stored on the bottom shelf semi-frozen and quire hard, although sliceable with a knife.
Is it safe to cook with these items?
Best Answer
Sure. What would make them unsafe? We freeze to preserve food all the time. More importantly, this freezing will likely impact the quality, especially the vegetables. I am guessing there is likely some freeze and thaw, which is not good for storage, as the ice crystals damage the cell structure of foods. However, as long as you cook the chicken properly (to the appropriate internal temperature), there is not a safety issue. Maybe adjust your refrigerator settings so that this doesn't happen...or store vegetables in an alternate location in your refrigerator.
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Is it bad to cook partially frozen meat?
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says meat is safe to cook without thawing and that it will \u201ctake approximately 50% longer than the recommended time for fully thawed or fresh meat and poultry.\u201dCan frozen meat contaminate other food?
You let frozen raw meat or poultry thaw on the counter. And, since food thaws unevenly, bacteria begin to grow on the thawed portions even if other parts of the food still feel frozen solid. That bacteria can make you sick and contaminate other items in your kitchen, Tierno says.Fresh or frozen food? Using SCIENCE to prove which is best with surprising results! - BBC
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