forgot to put steak in fridge

[zenkai]

if it doesnt smell bad it's safe to eat. getting steak at room temperature is actually a better way to cook it

[Gheld]

The bacteria on the surface will die when you cook it. Most bacteria are harmless when they are dead.

Botulinum leaves behind toxic waste and can't be fixed by cooking. But we're also evolved to be able to smell botulism. Hence the smell test. Anything you plan to cook is safe if it smells fine.

[Hyve]

Sniff Test. If it smells even faintly funny, don't risk it. If it smells perfectly fine, then just cook it so it's not Rare / Medium Rare and you should be fine. I wouldn't risk a Steak that's been out for 13 hours on anything less than Well Done to be honest.

[Deleted]

Wow nancy boys abound ITT.
Eat it.

[Louisa Bannon]

When in doubt, throw it out.

I realize you don't want to waste good food, but if you left it out improperly then its no longer good food. People in this thread are discussing various sub-optimal ways of compensating for meat gone bad - like overcooking it, etc - which should highlight the very strong possibility that the meat is overwhelmed with bacteria and no longer fit to eat. It's unfortunate, but you toss it out.

If the meat were slightly spoiled and you were absolutely set on eating it anyway then the secret is to use hot spices. Hot chilis have some minor antibacterial qualities and will help you move the food through more quickly. But really this is idiotic, you are 100% better off just tossing it.

The true old world secret is to cure meats with salt and sugar beforehand so that they wouldn't spoil in the first place. In both curing and aging meats there is always a chance that the "rind" of the meat will need to be discarded but that the interior meat is fine for eating. This is how we end up with aged beef, lox, proscuitto and bacalhua - all foods that people have eaten for centuries.

"...the beef must be stored near freezing temperatures...The process of dry-aging usually also promotes growth of certain fungal (mold) species on the external surface of the meat. This does not cause spoilage, but actually forms an external "crust" on the meat's surface, which is trimmed off when the meat is prepared for cooking. These fungal species complement the natural enzymes in the beef by helping to tenderize and increase the flavor of the meat." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_aging

My point in quoting the above is to make it absolutely clear that aged beef is stored near freezing temps and has nothing to do with leaving it out on a countertop overnight to spoil at room temp. There is no relationship between one and the other.

Now, throw that shit out and eat something else tonight.

[Maxilian]

Yeah I would go ahead and throw that out-

After the 2 hour mark bacteria starts to get a firm grip on your food(meat especially and rice)

4 hour mark it is considered unfit to serve in a restaurant

8 hour mark the bacteria generally has at least tripled to cover the entire meat

13 hours... I am surprised it is not walking its way out of your kitchen

Wouldn't most bacterias die when you cook it (assuming you cook it well)

[Kaganfindel]

If it's brown or red on the outside it should be fine. Raw, unground beef is very dense and ages well. In fact, it should smell a little ripe if it's a leaner cut. Cook it, let it rest a few minutes, slice it and smell the inside. If it doesn't smell bad after cooking, have at it.

[Enforcer]

This topic is still being discussed and i was reading it on Sunday.... OP has never returned to this post therefore he must be dead.... therefore the meat wasn't safe to eat.

[Louisa Bannon]

Mackeral was basically citing something akin to standard food safety rules. For more try here:

Myth #8: Once food has been cooked, all the bacteria have been killed, so I don’t need to worry once it’s “done.”
Fact: Actually, the possibility of bacterial growth actually increases after cooking, because the drop in temperature allows bacteria to thrive. This is why keeping cooked food warmed to the right temperature is critical for food safety.
http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/basics/myths/

Every false notion about still using that meat is cited at the above and the conclusion is that you don't mess about with these things: http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/effects/index.html

[The One Percent]

It's fine if you cook it well.

[Louisa Bannon]

It's fine if you cook it well.

I think it would be neat if people stopped spouting nonsense.

[zenkai]

[zEmini]

I leave my steaks and beef products out for hours before cooking them. Room temperature meat is the tastiests. Not sure about 13 hours though. Give it a sniff test.

[Louisa Bannon]

Okay, ya got me...

[-aiko-]

If it smells right, it tastes right.

That's my own personal rule. Haven't died yet!

[Deleted]

Rofl. I'm sure you've never gotten food poisoning. *massive eye roll*

Is it that weird that I haven't? I still have raw beef in the fridge from 3 days ago, smells fresh and tasted great in today's pasta sauce, I guess I can expect food poisoning too? Stop rolling your eyes breh, it doesn't seem to do you any good.

[kritisk]

Most of the best beef in the world is dry aged and thus left out for weeks and weeks without refrigeration before serving as the best steaks you'll ever eat. Beef that isn't ground will be fine like that. (Ground meat? Never.) If it smells ok, cook it and it'll be fine.

[Louisa Bannon]

Is it that weird that I haven't?

No, it' almost for sure that you have but that it was only a mild case so you chalked it up to something else.

"All the people with diarrhea chalked it up to eating at Taco Bell."
http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...rm=chalk+it+up

Although, living in Sweden probably helps. My temps today are at mid 80s, yours are at 43 degrees.

[Dispraise]

Most of the best beef in the world is dry aged and thus left out for weeks and weeks without refrigeration

That is very specifically not how to dry age beef.

[ellieg]

Eat it. Its not gonna kill you and you shouldnt get sick.