So.....I bought a precooked ham, and removed the plastic cover protection the bone, and I guess when I turned the ham around to make sure there were not other plastic parts, I insterted it into another location!!!! I didn't notice it until transporting the ham from the pan I cooked it in (at 275) to the carving board, so I'm not exactly sure were it was. The plastic piece is fully intact. Is it okay for us to eat??? I can't handle the thought of throwing away Christmas dinner, especially on a budget and the ham wasn't cheap!!
I say Bon(e)-APETIT' Once the ham cools down enough to eat, I'm sure the plastic will re-solidify where you can find it and remove it from the meat. You will be purely LUCKY to find another meal....that will of equal quality at this point in time, it being already past-Christmas eve. ENJOY your meal!
cut the piece out and throw it a way as plastic has toxins. then just serve it. should be fine every where else. just the piece and a few surrounding the plastic. Those toxins are carcinogenic so just cut it out.
Eat the meat, not the plastic. Not good for seasoning.
I just baked a ham the other day. Instructions are usually under the label. The general cooking should be about 18-20 minutes per pound at 350. When I bake a ham I use about 1 c orange juice mixed with about the same of brown sugar pour over the ham before baking, and baste throughout baking time. The OJ Helps to keep the ham tender. My ham was 7 pounds and took about1 hour 45minutes plus a 15 minute sitting time. I would reccomend a meat thermometer to be sure.
However, sometimes cooks use them in ways other than intended by the manufacturer. By mistake, consumers have left the paper- or plastic-wrapped giblets inside the turkey during cooking, neglected to take the plastic protector off ham bones, and cooked the absorbent paper-and plastic pad which can be packaged under meat in foam trays. Do these and other mistakes leave the food unsafe to eat? Here are the answers from the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline. Leaving the paper- or plastic-wrapped giblets inside the turkey during cooking: Some giblets are paper wrapped before being inserted into the poultry body cavity. In this case, there would be no concern if the giblets are accidentally cooked inside the bird to a safe temperature. If giblets were packed in a plastic bag, and the bag has been altered or melted by the cooking process, do not use the giblets or the poultry because harmful chemicals may have migrated into the surrounding meat. If the plastic bag was not altered, the giblets and poultry should be safe to use as long as the meat is fully cooked. Neglecting to take the plastic protector off ham bones: The plastic bone guard covering the exposed bone is used to keep the bone from breaking the outer wrap. If left on the meat during cooking, a 325 or 350 °F oven temperature may not melt the plastic but still give off an abnormal chemical odor or taste. Cutting away the meat around the exposed area will not necessarily solve this potential food safety problem because the penetration of the chemical into the meat will be unknown. If meat is cooked in a closed container, the chemicals may penetrate the entire piece of meat. USDA advises not to eat the ham; discard it. I'm sorry for the bad news.
