I left unopened pack of lamb burgers to thaw on the counter for 2-3 hours, if I cook them thoroughly should they still be safe to eat? Please advise, haste is appreciated.
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Welcome to Seasoned Advice! We have a standard question with advice on such situations [here](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/34670/how-do-i-know-if-food-left-at-room-temperature-is-still-safe-to-eat). Also, more thoughts in [this question](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/3472/is-there-a-problem-with-defrosting-meat-on-the-counter/3474#3474). – Athanasius Jul 23 '15 at 20:11
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I am kind of cooking the meat as we speak, so I don't really have time to go through articles. I will just risk it... – eternalNoob Jul 23 '15 at 20:17
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Well, the summary is that as long as your meat didn't spend more than about 2 hours TOTAL at room temperature (including any time before it was frozen, during transporting food home, etc.), you should be perfectly safe. Some food safety resources extend that to 4 hours. Given that your lamb was likely quite cool for some of the time on the counter, the risk is probably small. Though if you want to weigh the (small) risks thoroughly... well, that's why I gave the links. – Athanasius Jul 23 '15 at 20:24
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thanks. I will eat them but I will keep your advice in mind for future, and I will read the linked materials after. Much appreciated! I suspect it is probably about 3 hours outside of the fridge/freezer including transport from the store. But I have burned them to hell so other than the toxins I seem to have read about while skimming hte linked materials, I suppose there shouldnt be much to worry about... I will cleanse myself of my ignorance soon enough! – eternalNoob Jul 23 '15 at 20:27