Greetings from Oceans Gourmet !!!
On a routine basis, the catering superintendents visit vessels to interact with the galley team, do a
general hygiene check, interact with the crew and take feedback & suggestions on food. During recent visits, it has been observed on few occasions, that the frozen meat is kept in the sink
or in water, to defrost. This practice is highly dangerous and is a potential food poisoning nightmare.
Why is it dangerous – Raw / cooked meat, like any perishable foods, must be kept at a safe temperature during the “Thawing process”. Though they remain safe while being frozen, however, as soon as they begin to thaw and become warmer than 40 °F / 5 °C degrees, the bacteria that may have been present before freezing can begin to multiply. Hence, perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter, or in hot water and must never be left at room temperature for more than two hours. When the outer layer reaches the “Danger zone (between 40 and 140 °F / 5 and 63 °C), the bacteria start to multiply rapidly.
Thawing inside a Refrigerator is the best method to defrost the frozen food item. Planning ahead is the key to this method because of the lengthy time involved. A large frozen item like a turkey requires at least 24 hours. Even small amounts of frozen food — such as a pound of ground meat or boneless chicken breasts — require almost a full day to thaw. After thawing in the refrigerator, items such as ground meat, stew meat, poultry, seafood, should remain safe and in good quality for an additional day or two before cooking; red meat cuts (such as beef, pork or lamb roasts, chops and steaks) 3 to 5 days. Food thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking, although there may be some loss of quality.
Why is it dangerous – Raw / cooked meat, like any perishable foods, must be kept at a safe temperature during the “Thawing process”. Though they remain safe while being frozen, however, as soon as they begin to thaw and become warmer than 40 °F / 5 °C degrees, the bacteria that may have been present before freezing can begin to multiply. Hence, perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter, or in hot water and must never be left at room temperature for more than two hours. When the outer layer reaches the “Danger zone (between 40 and 140 °F / 5 and 63 °C), the bacteria start to multiply rapidly.
Thawing inside a Refrigerator is the best method to defrost the frozen food item. Planning ahead is the key to this method because of the lengthy time involved. A large frozen item like a turkey requires at least 24 hours. Even small amounts of frozen food — such as a pound of ground meat or boneless chicken breasts — require almost a full day to thaw. After thawing in the refrigerator, items such as ground meat, stew meat, poultry, seafood, should remain safe and in good quality for an additional day or two before cooking; red meat cuts (such as beef, pork or lamb roasts, chops and steaks) 3 to 5 days. Food thawed in the refrigerator can be refrozen without cooking, although there may be some loss of quality.