When to throw away food left on the counter. I do not want to waste it but left out overnight.?

Question

I woke up to my cooked pot roast mixed with the gravy from drippings in the tupperware I meant to put in the fridge. It has been out in a 60 degree kitchen for 9 hours. Do I need to throw it out or is it exaggerated to not leave food out for hours. It is in a sealed container. Also it is so good I hate to toss it. Should I?

Answer 1

Perishable food should never be left out of refrigeration more than two hours.

Foodborne bacteria that may be present on these foods grow fastest at temperatures between 40 and 140 °F and can double in number every 20 minutes.

Take-out or delivered foods such as chicken, hamburgers, cut fruit, salads, and party platters, must also be kept at a safe temperature.
The rule is to "Keep HOT Food HOT and COLD Food COLD!"

To keep hot foods safe, keep them at 140 °F or above. Cold food must be kept at 40 °F or below (in the refrigerator or freezer). Bacteria grow rapidly between 40 and 140 °F.

Discard all perishable food left at room temperature longer than 2 hours; 1 hour in air temperatures above 90 °F. Use safely refrigerated food in 3 to 4 days; frozen leftovers, 1 to 2 months.

Answer 2

Well for the safety concious person, I guess the proper thing to do is throw it out. "I", on the other hand, believe that if you constitute your entire life to avoiding germs, you will never build a resistance to any of them. I eat food that has been left out overnight and so does my whole family. We are all very healthy and don't get sick very often. Many flus and viruses pass me by and it has been at least ten years since I have had a fever.

Enjoy the meal again and build up your immune system.

Answer 3

Okay, read the other comments and have come to the conclusion that i have a really strong constitution. I make casseroles (containing meat) etc in a pressure cooker and leave them out for up to 3 days by the time I've eaten the last portion and I've never gotten sick. The only time i wouldn't do that is if it had onions in, they make things turn more quickly. However, i may be the exception to the rule and would hate for my advice to make you ill.

Answer 4

There is an acceptable amount of bacteria in any given food, but yours has gone far past it, assuming we're talking about a moist food (meat, dairy, etc.) and not bread fruit in the rind. at 60 F bacteria is DOUBLING every 20 minutes. after 9 hours one single bacteria cell has multiplied to ONE POINT THREE MILLION! And I assure you, the food already had many thousands of bacteria on it just from being handled in the open air of your litchen. Throw it away.

Answer 5

Yes, throw it away. There is no exaggeration about left out food. It will most likely make you ill if you try to eat it.

Answer 6

Absolutely throw it out!! 2 hours is a safe time to leave it out at room temperature. After that it needs to be kept hot, or refrigerated. Like my mom always said, "when in doubt, throw it out."

Answer 7

Food should be refrigerated immediately at 45 degrees. Looks like your going to have to throw it away. Sorry.

Answer 8

You need to throw it away. That temperature will make it a breeding ground for bacteria and germ. You can risk it of you want but I wouldn't! You could maybe microwave it for an hour or so and make sure you kill everything but I still wouldn't risk it.

Answer 9

Me personally, I would throw it out. My mother-in-law leaves food out ALL the time and nobody over there gets sick. As a matter of fact most of my brother-in-laws leave food out overnight too. ( I don't eat at her house)

Answer 10

Bad news, yes, you do have to throw it out. Chances are you will not get sick if you reheat it (really hot), but I don't think it's worth the risk of getting sick. IF you do eat it, heat it up until it is so hot you will burn your mouth if you eat it right away.