Chicken Pasta Left on Counter 2+ hours...safe? [duplicate]

I took a Cajun Chicken Pasta casserole out of the oven, and after eating, divided the leftovers up and put them in tupperware containers and left them on the counter to cool. Unfortunately, I got distracted and forgot to put the containers in the freezer. From the time they were taken out of the oven to the time I finally stuck them in the freezer was probably 2 1/2 or 3 hours. I keep my house between 70-75 degrees. Should I be concerned about eating them?

EDIT: As stated, I don't feel this is a duplicate question as I'm so close to the "danger zone" in regard to length of time left on the counter.

food-safety

Best Answer

Food kept at warm or ambient temperature for over 2 hours is supposed to be discarded.

However in this case the food was too warm for the danger zone for the beginning of this time, in fact for quite a bit of it, and you were only a little over the 2 hours, so it's highly unlikely that you actually exceeded the 2 hour limit. That wouldn't be good enough in the restaurant business but at home you don't have to prove it.

I do this routinely, as I've measured in my (rather cool) kitchen that the things I freeze stay out of the danger zone for over an hour on the surface, the coolest part, and I don't want to add lots of heat to my freezer and spoil the quality of the nearby food.

It's still a judgement call, and remember that time in the danger zone is cumulative, so defrost in the fridge and reheat quickly and thoroughly.

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How long can chicken pasta sit out?

It would be best to handle spaghetti with chicken sauce with caution since dangerous bacteria can multiply rapidly on meat left out at room temperature. For this reason, don't leave chicken spaghetti sauce out any longer than two hours. If your home is on the warmer side, you should probably toss it out after one hour.

Can you eat chicken pasta that was left out overnight?

If your pasta has been left out overnight in a warm environment, then throw it away. If the cooked pasta is left out for longer than five hours or at a high temperature, then it should not be eaten. Eating this pasta could be dangerous and cause adverse health problems.

Can you eat cooked chicken left out for 3 hours?

Answer: You can safely leave cooked chicken out at room temperature for two hours -- or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit -- says the United States Department of Agriculture. Cooked chicken that has been sitting out for longer than 2 hours (or 1 hour above 90\xb0 F) should be discarded.

Can you eat pasta left out for 3 hours?

Rice and pasta can contain bacteria whose spores survive the cooking process. If boiled rice or pasta are left out at 12-14o C for a long time (more than 4-6 hours), it can become extremely dangerous to eat. At this temperature the spore producing bacteria can form heat resistant toxins.

Pasta in White Sauce Recipe by Food Fusion

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