Should meat always be left to get to room temperature before cooking?
If you have frozen the meat it should be thoroughly defrosted before you cook it. You can do this by putting it in the fridge for a period of time (this depends on the size of the joint and it should be indicated on the packaging or you could ask the butcher) You should NOT leave the meat on the counter to reach room temperature. Room temperature is normally around 21 degrees C this is in what is know as “the danger zone” where micro-organisms proliferate. If you like your meat rare the micro-organisms that have grown while you have left your meat on the counter will NOT be killed! Keeping meat chilled doesn’t kill microbes but it prevents them from multiplying, this can mean the difference between becoming ill and being fine as a certain number of microbes are needed to cause illness. You should let the meat reach the same temperature all the way through for pratical reasons – if the centre is really cold the edge will burn and the middle will not be hot enough to kill the bacteria.
