I forgot frozen ground beef on the counter overnight, is it safe to cook?

[Tally]

I took out 3 packages of ground beef (roughly 1.5 pounds per package). They were rock hard when I took them out of the freezer around 10 pm last night. I went to bed and forgot them on the counter. When I woke up at 7 am, they were defrosted, but still cold to the touch. Are they safe to cook? I want to make meatballs, the meat will be cooking in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees F. How safe do you think they are to eat? Should I throw them out??
I'm a paranoid person who usually throws out anything that has been on the counter for more then an hour. I am a germaphobic person who hates getting sick. My husband says they are fine to cook and doesn't want me to throw them out???

 

[RSJ]

Hmm, how cold are they? Are you sure they are cold all over? If cold all over, it may be ok to use. Yeah, it's a lot to throw away. Hope they're still plenty cold.

 

[Skipper]

you could use it but there is an element of risk. If they were still cold that is a good sign. Actually with raw meat, especially ground meat, there are so many bacteria already present that they will tend to crowd out the pathogens. In some ways raw meat is better than cooked meat to let out if you have to let any out. You might be ok if you cook it thoroughly.

Only you can decide the degree of risk you are willing to take. Maybe low maybe high. Your roll the dice. Personally I would ask myself is it worth it for $5 worth or meat.

PhD Food Chemistry and Nutrition

 

[lilginny]

Your ground beef is just fine to cook today. I wouldn't keep it any longer than maybe tomorrow before cooking it. I leave meat out at time overnight too and I've never had an issue as long as I used it right away.