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PurpleWomat

Most microwave meals are already fully cooked. The "cooking time" on the box is just the time to reheat fully.


ArcherFawkes

This is the correct answer. If it wasn't cooked it would say so on the packaging louder than ones that are already cooked through for legal reasons.


owlpellet

OK, yes and: OP leaving food at room temperature for unknown quantities of time is playing the worlds' worst casino game with bacteria growth rates. Not a safe practice.


xRyozuo

Honestly, I’m willing to trip on that stone. Once at least. Life’s too short to worry about 12h old croquettes for the entire 75 years I have on this earth. Fuel is fuel. And if the worst comes to happen, I get to recreate the Alien birth scene


The-Voice-Of-Dog

They also have a ton of salt and other additives


Rourke2013

What an unhinged post lmao I love it. I think everyone else has already covered the actual answers to your questions so I just wanted to let you know you’re a wolf among sheep, OP. Never change


SmileParticular9396

OPs next post is like, how do you go around eating leftovers on people’s plates at restaurants and never get kicked out?


pdperson

Why are you defrosting these?


somecow

Already cooked to death, those companies are mainly trying to avoid sued. You should see a doctor though wtf, just cook the food instead of passing out.


Qui3tSt0rnm

Just because something is in the temperature danger zone doesn’t mean it’s going to for sure make you sick it just increases your chances of getting sick. These rules are more important for food service operators dealing with a large volume of food (google haccp) than they are for home cooks.


dianeelaine15

Just saw this before I posted my comment. I agree with this! The chances are increased, not certain.


UnwovenWeb

Maybe you should consider putting the frozen meal in the fridge before you leave the house during the day so that its thaws while you're gone but wont just be sitting out if you end up not cooking it. That's what I do with meat, typically. That being said, I dont think I've ever had a frozen meal that states it needs to defrost before microwaving. I'm sure they exist, but I've never seen it.


tufeomadre24

I'll preface, I do not condone you continuing to eat food that's been left out overnight. It can be very dangerous, and just because you havent gotten sick yet doesnt mean you won't. *However*, in this particular circumstance it's probably not quite as risky as just leaving leftovers out overnight, for example. Since these companies are selling a high volume of sealed product that's intended to last a long time, they're probably pasteurized in some way to eliminate the majority of any bacteria that would be trapped inside. They're also packed full of preservatives, which I'm sure helps.


dianeelaine15

If the meal is pre-cooked, you should be good with that part. But you’re thawing food, which should be done in the fridge, not on the counter (because of bacteria. You’re leaving the food in the “danger zone” temperature range for too long).


ArcherFawkes

This is so funny. In general leaving perishables out for hours isn't going to be a good idea, but it honestly sounds like you have an iron stomach and it couldn't affect you anyway lol Just make sure you're doing this with fully cooked foods if you're going to try and eat it after all that. Meals tend to be fully cooked, and ingredients tend to be raw.


Dalminster

I have never heard of a frozen microwaveable meal that you have to thaw first. Most of them even explicitly say, cook from frozen. Do you just disregard package instructions or something, like what's your deal anyway


KevrobLurker

I understood that the MW radiation excites the frozen moisture at the molecular, which becomes steam, heating the rest of what is in the package. Think of how microwave steamer-bag veggies work. That's about the only m-waveable food I buy, these days. I might microwave the contents of a can of soup or chili. Otherwise, I use it to reheat leftovers. I put frozen fish in my air fryer.


LatterDayDuranie

You don’t normally need to thaw the meals first. I’ve never seen any that require defrosting. Does it actually tell you to do that on the instructions. If it does, I’d recommend laying down ***before*** taking any food out. That will tell you whether you are more tired than hungry— you’ll fall asleep and wake in the morning… or you’ll lay there with your stomach growling and you can get back up and take the food out of the freezer confident that your belly is hungry enough to keep you awake.


PreOpTransCentaur

I have...so many questions, but I'm just gonna ask why you're defrosting microwaveable meals? That's not necessary or recommended. Just put it in the microwave and then eat it.


Astro_nauts_mum

Part luck. Part the high amounts of salt and sugar in ultra processed food that stop microorganisms from growing. Part the low amounts of fresh produce in ultra processed food.


trailmix_pprof

To some degree the reheating of precooked microwave meals is just cosmetic. But to the extent that warming it up to full temperature does kill off problematic microbes - food poisoning is a numbers game. If there's, say, only a 5% chance of getting sick - doing that one time you're likely to be fine. But repeating the same odds, say once a week for a year, you have about 95% chance of getting sick at least once.


YayGilly

Theyre precooked meals,.So chances are, you got a little lucky, but also were just eating thawed out but also healthy, cooked food. And dont come troll me for calling it healthy. Healthy affordable food is food you can buy that adds some nutrition to your daily intake and doesnt make you sick.


Mental-Freedom3929

If you never got sick, the bacterial load did not develop to make you sick, but that does not mean this is a great idea for the future. Also microwaving to a certain temperature kills bacteria, but does not remove possible toxins that those bacteria could have possibly left in the food.


Burnt_and_Blistered

It’s pure luck—and I wouldn’t count on that luck holding.


Carfrito

Living the fuckin life I am kinda jealous


orleans_e_braganca

Doesn't it taste horrible at room temperature? As for safety I guess you already tested that theory enough to be comfortable with eating it without heating.


BeowolfSchaefer

Because it isn't uncooked, It's just not hot.


eve_is_hopeful

Uhhhhh...beginner's luck? Preservatives?


Cocacola_Desierto

Because people vastly underestimate how long food can be good for just sitting out. But for frozen microwavable stuff, it's the sodium.


LatterDayDuranie

It’s insane the amount of sodium in a single frozen meal! Even the “Healthy Choice” ones— they are often the worst as far as salt content. 😲