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Okay to eat, or will we be making ourselves sick?

16 years ago

DH brought home some carne asada burritos for lunch tomorrow, and set them on the kitchen counter. They sat out on the counter for FIVE HOURS (from 6 pm to 11:15 pm) before they were put away. Are they still good to eat or will we be making ourselves sick?

Sooz, who is not omniscient about things!

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Comments (18)

sooz
Original Author
16 years ago
P.S. meant to say "before they were put away in the fridge."
beanthere_dunthat
16 years ago
The rule I was taught in food safety classes is that food should never be in the "danger zone" -- which is from 42 degrees to 142 degrees -- for more than four hours total.

Take from that what you will.

Now, speaking strictly for myself, If I trusted the place and they were piping hot when he put them on the counter, AND they were heated to no less than 160 degrees when reheated to eat, I'd eat it. HOWEVER, I would not serve it to anyone else or suggest they eat it. (Call me crazy, but after some of the things my mother used to serve that put us all into the hosptial at one time or another, I'm not too afraid of a burrito.)
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sheesh
16 years ago
We'd eat them here.
dedtired
16 years ago
I'd probably eat them. I've never been overly careful except where mayo is involved. Maybe test them on hubby first? ;)
annie1992
16 years ago
Yes, I was also taught the four hour rule, but I'd still eat them without thinking about it too much. I took all the food safety classes when I still had the restaurant, but I tend to be somewhat laid back, especially when it's food from somewhere or someone whose preparation I trust.

Annie
cloudy_christine
16 years ago
I'd pass, but DH would probably eat them.
jclepine
16 years ago
I know better but I'd eat them Unless they contained mushrooms.

I'll bet they are yuuuumy!
User
16 years ago
I would eat them no problem but I love to live on the edge!! LOL
sffog
16 years ago
i'd eat them, think about when you took a brown bag lunch to school when you were little, made at 7 am or 8 am and then you ate it at lunch then what was left you ate it after school because you were hungry or did not want your parents to scold you for not finishing your lunch. i grew up in a warm climate and we ate tuna salad with mayo for lunch or egg salad with mayo of course, or fried chicken left over from dinner, baloney sandwiches.waste not want not
sheshebop
16 years ago
I would also eat them.
beanthere_dunthat
16 years ago
Really, mayonaise isn't even that big a danger anymore unless it's homemade. It's got stabilizers and pastuerization out the wazoo now. I'm more afraid of unwashed produce than I am mayo anymore.
dirtgirl07
16 years ago
It would depend on what else I'd been eating lately. Got an interesting bit of info after a trip to the er once. The doc asked if I ate alot of frozen dinners, which back then was a yes. He said that foods, especially those frozen dinners, can build up toxins in your body until it can't deal with any more and you end up with a slight food poisoning.

It seemed to make sense because I'd eaten dinner at my folks, salmon croquettes - I got sick, they didn't. They were always eating a lot more fresh made foods so they weren't bothered.
adoptedbygreyhounds
16 years ago
I would NOT eat them. I have never heard of a four hour rule. I have heard of the two hour rule and that is what I go by. The misery of true food poisoning is not worth the few bucks saved by not throwing them out.

Also, mayo was often blamed for food poisoning when actually it was the chicken or tuna or eggs that spoiled. If anything, the slight acidity of the mayo (vinegar or lemon juice) would retard spoilage.
bunnyman
16 years ago
I give suspect stuff the sniff test. Most bacteria smells like bacteria. Fresh cooked food should be fine left to set out only five hours. I would assume cooking killed all the bacteria. New bacteria would come along but it needs time to take hold and grow. I never put my lunch in the fridge at work (it takes longer to warm from the fridge). Most of my co-workers are horrified. I've not yet poisoned myself. I've brought home leftover lunch and had it for dinner more then once.

I used to have a cat that would sniff test suspect items from my fridge. If she ate some of a sample then I considered it safe. If Tuna rejected it I pitched it out.

LOL... I once had fruit cocktail from a local restaurant salad bar that was actively fermenting. The owner was visiting with me as I ate so I pointed it out... then ate the bubbling stuff. Sam was horrified both that the help had put it out and that I continued to eat it. Free booze in my book.... some things spoil other are improved.

: )
lyra
sooz
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, it was freshly made at a little local place we frequent--guy and his wife running the place, working hard and putting in long hours, keeping things clean and fresh, so I felt okay about where we got these.

It passed the sniff test this morning, and hubs ate the whole thing after reheating it in the MW. I cut mine in half, and nuked it for 4 minutes on high, then used my instant-read thermometer and it came up over 175 degrees, so I ate half. So far, no problems, and it's been 12 hours.

Thanks for all the input!
beanthere_dunthat
16 years ago
The four hour limit and "danger zone" is taught in the ServSafe certification programs, a food handling course created by the National Restaurant Association's Educational Foundation and required by many health departments. I let my instructor certification for the class lapse a couple of years ago since I no longer needed it, so I should have said as of 2006, those were the time and temperture limits suggested by the NRAEF. Local health department guidelines can vary by a couple of degrees.
grainlady_ks
16 years ago
1. I wouldn't eat them. How many people would WILLINGLY consume food from a restaurant if they thought it was over 5-hours old and not properly refrigerated, but think nothing of it when it's in their own homes? I find that very odd...

2. From the Food Safety Classes I took...with supporting USDA/FDA information from the link below.

"Never let food sit out of the refrigerator for more than two hours when preparing, serving, and eating. (At summer outings, when temperatures are 90Â°F and greater, let food sit out no more than 1 hour.)"

3. Danger Zone

"Keep hot foods hot (above 140Â°F) and cold foods cold (below 40Â°F). Avoid leaving foods in the "Danger Zone (40Â°F - 140Â°F), where bacteria grow rapidly. Never let food sit out for several hours, even if you intend to eat it later.

4. Smelling

"Why use food handling precautions at home? Because bacteria that we cannot see, SMELL, or taste can multiply to millions within a few hours at warm kitchen temperatures. Although most bacteria cause illness when they increase in large numbers, some (such as E. coli 0157:H7) need only a few to cause illness."

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Basics for Handling Food Safely
mitchdesj
16 years ago
For me, once I have a doubt about food safety, it's over, I can't eat it.

I don't think it's worth taking even the smallest of chances.

I do remember those warm luncheon meat sandwiches in school lunches, lol...

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