Do I need to throw all this out?

[Renthead Mommy]

Things stacked in the refrigerator kept the door from closing tight last night. Not wide open, just not shut and sealed.  So it was open from 11p to 5-6am.  My husband found it and said 'the fridge was at room temperature' and he wants to throw out anything beyond ketchup and veggies. 

 

He and I tend to come at these things from opposite ends.  He is way overly cautious and I am much less cautious. So not sure where to go on this one.  By the time I got downstairs the fridge had been closed up for 2 hours so everything was cold again.

 

I made egg salad last night for today.  If we were going to be home all day I would have said "yes, probably okay to eat".  But did not want to send the kid off for the day with the chance he becomes "that kid that was puking in the parking lot".  So I tossed the egg salad. 

 

But he wants to toss the milk (which I drank this morning and was fine), the sliced and blocked cheese (which were in a closed drawer, brand new sour cream, yogurts, cottage cheese, almond milk, jar of mayo that was on the door, eggs and hard boiled (but still in the shell) eggs.  And I did have half a package of open bacon as well.

 

So thoughts?  What would you keep, what would toss, if any?

 

Since the cheese was in a drawer, and the yogurt, cottage cheese and sour cream were all brand new (so full containers that would hold their cold longer), and eggs sit on an open shelf, I am feeling like everything but maybe the mayo and the egg salad.  

[maize]

I think hard cheese, yoghurt, sour cream, and mayo are totally fine--not even questionable (those just don't go bad that quickly). Since the milk tasted fine I wouldn't worry about that. I tend to be a bit cautious with eggs because they could be harboring salmonella.

[xixstar]

If things seem fine I probably wouldn't throw anything out. Open a crack means it probably worked hard all night trying to keep cold, not that the power went out and it didn't cool at all. So it probably couldn't keep up but probably not considered room temp the entire time. And food can actually be out a couple hours too and still be fine.

 

So all that combined, and the fact that I am not conservative, we would keep it all.

[mellifera33]

I would keep the cheese, yogurt, sour cream, and cottage cheese. I would toss the mayo, eggs, bacon, and almond milk. No logic to it, just gut feelings. :) I might keep the eggs too. I don't know. 

[maize]

Commercial mayocan actually be left at room temperature for quite a long time without becoming dangerous. If it is home made mayo that's a different story.

[Guest]

I'd keep everything except the egg salad (and anything else similarly prepared). DH would eat the salad lol Cheese,

 

sour cream, etc that kind of stuff is cultured. If it's not moldy, it's fine for sure.

[happi duck]

The egg salad and the Mayo are the only things on that list that I *might* pitch.

 

Afaik, a lot on the list are things that are meant to keep well.

[Renthead Mommy]

Thank you.  Now to conince Dr. Paranoid....

[HSmomof2]

I'd keep the hard cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, mayo. You'll be able to tell if these are spoiled. I'd also keep the milk if it smells/tastes fine, but I'd use it up more quickly. These products likely won't last as long after not staying as cold as they should.

[regentrude]

I would keep everything except raw meat.

[skimomma]

I would keep everything except raw meat.

 

Yep.  And maybe the egg salad.

[Carol in Cal.]

I'd keep everything except prepared food.

So, eggs no problem (restaurants store them at room temp), dairy I would be able to tell if it went bad, bacon is so preserved that it's fine, commercial mayo ditto.  ETA:  Raw meat I think I could detect if there were a problem, but I'd cook it today even if I didn't eat it until later on.

 

But the egg salad?  Or leftover quiche?  Or cooked meat, including bacon?  Totally toss those, because they could go undetectably bad and make you really sick, plus you're not going to cook them more to kill whatever bacteria is lurking.

Edited October 24, 2016 by Carol in Cal.

[luuknam]

I would keep everything except raw meat.

 

For raw meat, I'd take expiration date under consideration. If it was set to expire today, I'd toss it. If it was still a couple of days off, I'd use it today (the earlier the better), and make sure to cook it thoroughly.

 

Raw eggs (in the shell) should be fine. There are many first world countries in which they're stored on the shelf, not in the cold section of the store, and are good for a few weeks. Now, I've been told that they don't wash off the protective coating in those countries, but still... I might make it a point to use them sooner, and to maybe not eat them raw or undercooked (no licking the cake batter, which I normally do do), but I wouldn't toss them.

 

I'd toss the egg salad.

Edited October 24, 2016 by luuknam

[rjand6more]

This happened to me a couple moths ago.  I had just bought 4 dz eggs from a friend and they were on the top shelf.  They were actually warmer that room temp due to being close to the light.  I tossed them and everything on the top shelf and door that was dairy and meat.  And everything prepared.

 

So frustrating!

[barnwife]

 

 

Raw eggs (in the shell) should be fine. There are many first world countries in which they're stored on the shelf, not in the cold section of the store, and are good for a few weeks. Now, I've been told that they don't wash off the protective coating in those countries, but still... I might make it a point to use them sooner, and to maybe not eat them raw or undercooked (no licking the cake batter, which I normally do do), but I wouldn't toss them.

 

I'd toss the egg salad.

What I bolded is true. However, those countries do not wash their eggs. That provides the eggs with a protective layer. 

 

In the US, eggs are required to be washed and that protective layer is removed. 

 

That being said, even knowing that, I'd keep the eggs.

 

Actually, I would keep everything.

[MyLittleBears]

I would toss everything but the shelled eggs ( if they are not next to the light as pp suggested), butter, and fresh produce.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I wouldn't throw any of it out. 

 

 

[TCB]

I would keep everything except the prepared egg salad. Lots of countries keep eggs out of the fridge  - they last several weeks, maybe not quite as long as refrigerated ones.

[Katy]

Egg salad would go in the trash.  The rest would stay in my house, assuming the mayo isn't homemade.  DH would push for it to all be thrown out, but he worked food service through college and has commercial rules stuck in his head. 

[Renthead Mommy]

Glad to see that ad usual, everyone is in complete agreement! LOL!!!

[luuknam]

What I bolded is true. However, those countries do not wash their eggs. That provides the eggs with a protective layer. 

 

In the US, eggs are required to be washed and that protective layer is removed.

 

Um, I said that specifically. Which is why I wouldn't go and eat those eggs raw, but I would keep them and try to use them sometime soon.

[Heatherwith4]

I'm not even sure I'd toss the egg salad, but I understand why you would. I wouldn't toss anything else.

[nd293]

The only thing I'd even consider throwing out would be meat if you had it. Egg salad I'd throw. Even if the door was wide open all night, the food could surely not possibly be room temperature with cold air blowing over it?

[scholastica]

That's happened multiple times here. (I'm looking at you teen midnight snackers.) We've never thrown anything out because of it and no-one's even gotten sick.

[TammyS]

I see no need to toss the egg salad.  The eggs have already been BOILED and the I'm assuming the mayo is commercial. 

 

 

[Emba]

Bacon is a cured meat and so I wouldn't toss it. I mean, curing was developed to preserve meat longer.  Actually, given the conditions you describe, I'd keep steak and not worry about it.  But I am not particularly paranoid about stuff like that.  I would definitely keep the eggs, too. I don't drink milk, so I'd leave that up to someone that does.  Almond milk I'd think would be fine, though.  All in all, I think the egg salad is the only thing I'd toss, too.

[fdrinca]

Sometimes, I reach into the refrigerator and it doesn't feel cool to me - I think because I'm running cool myself. Perhaps your fridge was actually an OK temp?

[Renthead Mommy]

In the end I threw out the egg salad. 

 

Then I came home, and I was all alone.  No one else was home yet.  And I wondered.  I sniffed the bacon.  It was the only meat in there.  I figured just to be safe we should cook the bacon sooner rather than later.

 

So I cooked it.  It was only four slices (I had saved it to use with asparagus).  And then I figured Hey, I'm home alone.  So I ate. Alone.  By myself.  At 3pm.  It was a sort of blissful experience.  4 pieces of hot bacon on a plate and quiet house... 

 

Later other people came home and commented on the house smelling like bacon had been cooked.  I told them yup.  Since the fridge was open people thought it should get cooked. 

 

I didn't mention I ate it and no one asked.  I have a feeling tomorrow at breakfast someone is going to say "Can I have some of that bacon you cooked yesterday?"  And I'm going to say no, no you can not......

 

[kiana]

At times like this is it the mother's duty to protect the children from bacon that might have potentially gone off ;)