Leaving Meat At Room Temperature

Here s the basic logic.

Leaving meat at room temperature.

Similarly salting the steak about 40 minutes in advance long enough to let salt draw out liquid and then for that liquid to be re absorbed leaving a dryer surface will also improve it. In this temperature range pathogenic bacteria can sometimes double in number within a span of 20 minutes. If bacteria can double in just 20 minutes imagine the numbers if the meat has been left out overnight. I find north americans obsession with food.

I keep rice cooked meat soups leftovers and so on regularly at room temperature for more than 48 hours without a problem and i am alive and well. Simply blotting your steak with paper towels before searing it will improve it far better than any amount of room temperature resting will. Meat provides the ideal environment for bacteria to breed so the u s. In fact raw meat should never sit out in temperatures above 40 f for extended periods of time and never longer than two hours for any reason.

Department of agriculture cautions consumers against thawing raw meat at room temperature. Cooked food sitting at room temperature is in what the usda calls the danger zone which is between 40 f and 140 f. In this range of temperatures bacteria grows rapidly and the food can become unsafe to eat so it should only be left out no more than two hours. At temperatures below 40 degrees fahrenheit the cooked meat can sit out longer as the temperature is not suitable enough for bacteria to multiply fast.

In room temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit cooked meat can sit out no longer than 4 hours. So the idea of leaving a steak at room temp for more than 30 minutes or so gives me the creeps especially if there are cracks and pits in which microbes can hide. Especially knowing that some processors use blade tenderizers tiny knives that cut into the muscle to soften it but in the process push surface contamination deep into the center. In fact all but fresh or shredded cheeses such as feta or mozzarella should be given an hour on average to come to room temperature with no risk of developing dangerous bacteria levels when hard cheeses become easier to.