Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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ChatGPT image description: A whole raw chicken sits submerged in a blue cooler filled with water, while an aquarium pump shoots a spray upward. Several bright orange goldfish swim around the chicken. The scene is surreal, mixing food storage with aquarium elements in an oddly calm, brightly lit setup.

866. Thawing Chicken With an Aquarium Pump

December 22, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using an aquarium pump to circulate the water to aid in thawing a chicken in a cooler of water.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Alton Brown Aquarium Pump thawing Instagram
  • 86. Thawing Poultry at Room Temperature — Risky or Not?
  • Quick food thawing with running water versus a recirculating faucet: Comparison of time to thaw and use of water and energy - ScienceDirect
December 22, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Thawing, Cross-contamination

DALL·E: The image shows a Canadian garage where a person struggles to fit an oversized turkey into a large cooler filled with ice. The garage features typical items like a hockey stick, snow boots, a Canadian flag, and tools on shelves, all under warm overhead lighting, adding a humorous, cozy touch.

696. Thawing a Turkey in the Garage

November 20, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from thawing a turkey in the garage.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • 631. Thawing a Whole Turkey in a Hot Garage Twice — Risky or Not?
  • 86. Thawing Poultry at Room Temperature — Risky or Not?
  • Don Schaffner 🦠 on X: "Room temperature thawing of frozen meat is an interesting topic that comes up from time to time. If you check all of the food safety advice websites they will tell you that it is not safe to do this. (1/18)" / X
  • The effect of different thawing methods on the growth of bacteria in chicken
  • Thawing turkeys at ambient air temperatures food technology - Google Scholar
  • Consumer food handling recommendations: is thawing of turkey a food safety issue? - PubMed
  • Merch — Risky or Not?
November 20, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Thawing, Turkey

DALL·E - A very hot looking turkey sitting in a dimly lit garage. The turkey has exaggerated sweat droplets and looks exhausted.

631. Thawing a Whole Turkey in a Hot Garage Twice

June 21, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks thawing a whole turkey in a hot garage twice.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in US Meat and Poultry - PMC
  • Thawing at Ambient Temperature on the Counter - O. P. Snyder
June 21, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Turkey, Thawing, Room temperature thawing

DALL·E - A refrigerated display case containing one package of ground beef. The ground beef package has a label that includes the words “The ground meats in this display have been produced using fresh and frozen meat”.

616. Thawing and Refreezing Meat Multiple Times

May 17, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of thawing and refreezing meat multiple times.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • What does Chronically Online mean? | Social Media Glossary by Keyhole
  • List of diss tracks - Wikipedia
  • The Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake Beef, Explained - The New York Times
  • From east to west, ‘Canada’s Ultimate Challenge’ travels to hidden gems across the country - NOW Toronto
  • 233. 100 Hour Lasagna — Risky or Not?
  • Safely defrosting foods - Canada.ca
  • Food safety and you - Canada.ca
  • The Big Thaw — Safe Defrosting Methods | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Validation of Mathematical Models for Salmonella Growth in Raw Ground Beef under Dynamic Temperature Conditions Representing Loss of Refrigeration - ScienceDirect
  • The Food Professor on X: "This was shared with me; it was seen in a grocery store in Ottawa. Have you ever seen a sign like this before? https://t.co/3opruzF6xj" / X
  • 8 Mile - Ending Battles (4K/UHD) - YouTube
May 17, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Beef, Freezing, Thawing, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7

DALL·E - a turkey on a container of water

540. Cold Water Turkey Thawing

November 22, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of the USDA recommended cold water turkey thawing method.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • turkey - Risky or Not?
  • thawing - Risky or Not?
  • Turkey Basics: Safe Thawing | Food Safety and Inspection Service
  • Is it true thawing a turkey on the counter will make you sick? - The Washington Post
  • Prevalence of Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia coli on the Surfaces of Raw Poultry Packages - ScienceDirect
  • How is heat transferred when frozen meat is thawed by putting the container in a tub of cold water? | Homework.Study.com
  • Fluid dynamics and heat transfer in cold water thawing - ScienceDirect
  • Heat transfer - Wikipedia
November 22, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Turkey, Thawing, Cross-contamination

412. Defrosting Trays

January 27, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of Defrosting Trays

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Dr. Kara Morgan on Twitter: "⁦@bugcounter⁩ ⁦@benjaminchapman⁩ - this is a new one for me. Have you done an episode on these yet? “Defrosting trays” https://t.co/ksuAZC832l" / Twitter
  • Premium Innovative Defrosting Tray @ SharperImage.com
  • Amazon.com: CHEFLY Large Fast Defrosting Tray for Frozen Meat Foods 13.8〃 by 7.8〃 No Electricity Aluminum Miracle Natural Thawing Plate : Home & Kitchen
  • Anybody remember laughter? - Portland Press Herald
  • Mallrats - Wikipedia
  • thawing - Risky or Not?
  • The Effect of Different Thawing Methods on the Growth of Bacteria in Chicken
  • Don Schaffner 🦠 on Twitter: "Room temperature thawing of frozen meat is an interesting topic that comes up from time to time. If you check all of the food safety advice websites they will tell you that it is not safe to do this. (1/18)" / Twitter


January 27, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Thawing, Defrosting, Cross-contamination

229. Giving a Raw Turkey to a 13 Year Old

November 26, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of giving a raw turkey to a 13 year old to take home from school as a prize.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Merch — Risky or Not?
  • DANCE Synonyms: 54 Synonyms & Antonyms for DANCE | Thesaurus.com
  • 7 Fun Facts About Turkey Trots | ACTIVE
  • Management of Risk of Microbial Cross-Contamination from Uncooked Frozen Hamburgers by Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer | Journal of Food Protection
  • Contamination by Meat Juice When Shopping for Packages of Raw Poultry | Journal of Food Protection
November 26, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Poultry, Turkey, Cross-contamination, Thawing
209.png

209. Cooking a Thawed Turkey Meant to Cooked From Frozen

October 11, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating a cooked turkey that's been thawed, when it was meant to be cooked from frozen.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

October 11, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Turkey, Thawing, Cooking
raw poultry.png

86. Thawing Poultry at Room Temperature

December 28, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of thawing poultry at room temperature.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Savana on Twitter: "@VectorSciNikki @benjaminchapman @bugcounter You guys can probably explain more eloquently than I can" / Twitter
  • Don Schaffner 🦠 on Twitter: "Room temperature thawing of frozen meat is an interesting topic that comes up from time to time. If you check all of the food safety advice websites they will tell you that it is not safe to do this. (1/18)" / Twitter
  • Staphylococcus aureus - Wikipedia
  • ComBase
December 28, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Poultry, Thawing, Temperature
frozen fish.jpg

34: Thawing Frozen Fish in Vacuum Packed Bag

August 28, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of thawing frozen fish in vacuum packed bag

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • NACMCF report on MAP fishery products

  • Conservative Prediction of Time to Clostridium botulinum Toxin Formation for Use with Time-Temperature Indicators To Ensure the Safety of Foods | Journal of Food Protection | Allen Press

  • Consumer home refrigeration practices: results of a web-based survey - PubMed


August 28, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Botulism, Fish, Thawing, Vacuum packaging
large_8976b92b-78de-496e-bab5-97c37ed86db5.jpg

16: Thawed Crab Legs

March 09, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben discuss the risks from cooked, frozen crab legs thawed for 24 hours in the refrigerator.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • Listeria - Wikipedia
  • Listeria (Listeriosis) | FDA
  • Crab Legs Recalled Due to Listeria | Listeria Blog
March 09, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Crab legs, Thawing

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