My turn: is this safe to eat

[Um_2_4]

So last night in cleaning up the kitchen, I somehow missed putting away the mayo jar and it set about 10 hours overnight on the counter...should I toss it?

It is real mayo and was cool to the touch when I found it. It didn't get super cold last night, maybe down to 50s (don't shoot me I'm in California  :tongue_smilie: )

So toss or keep??? (and I don't eat mayo so I wouldn't know if it smells good or not, only DH eats it)

[Laura Corin]

I'd keep it.

 

L

[Mandylubug]

I'd keep it if it still looks normal. I've done it before with no issues.

[Catwoman]

:ack2:

 

I'll be the lone dissenter.

 

I would toss it!

 

Does the label say, "refrigerate after opening" on it?

[Mandylubug]

If you eat it and start twitching, I'd say toss it

[beaners]

In some places people don't refrigerate mayo.  They might be more careful about crumbs contaminating the jar than someone who usually refrigerates though.

[Um_2_4]

ok, I put it in the fridge, I will let DS smell it and tell me if it is "off", if so I'll toss it just to be safe. It is one of those "squeeze" bottles, so no contamination to worry about. 

[Catwoman]

ok, I put it in the fridge, I will let DS smell it and tell me if it is "off", if so I'll toss it just to be safe. It is one of those "squeeze" bottles, so no contamination to worry about.

What does the label say about refrigeration? The labels on condiment jars and bottles usually say whether or not they need to be refrigerated.

[Um_2_4]

The label says to refrigerate, but I wasn't sure if that is for "legal" reasons or not. I used to refrigerate my soy sauce till a Chinese neighbor stopped by, raised an eyebrow and asked me why I was refrigerating it  :lol: .

[Catwoman]

If the label says to refrigerate it, I would toss it out. It's not worth potentially making your family sick to save a few dollars.

[VaKim]

My mom has never refrigerated mayo in her life. We ate plenty of it and never had any problems. She doesn't refrigerate ketchup, mustard, or jelly either.

[Harriet Vane]

While it is fine to not refrigerate mustard, mayo is one item that definitely needs refrigeration due to the egg content. I would toss the mayo immediately. That is just too many hours at lukewarm.

[AlmiraGulch]

Commercially produced mayo does not need to be refrigerated (although I do anyway).

 

According to the Association for Dressings and Sauces, "an international association of salad dressing, mayonnaise, mustard and other condiment manufacturers and their suppliers," in Make Mine Mayonnaise! The facts and fallacies behind commercial mayonnaise

quote:More than 60 years of research has proven that commercially prepared mayonnaise does not cause foodborne illness. In fact, these commercial products are carefully prepared with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice and salt to create an unfriendly environment that slows and even inhibits the growth of bacteria and, indeed, can kill it.

[snip]

Q. What happens if I leave mayonnaise unrefrigerated for a long period of time?

A. From a food safety standpoint, commercial mayonnaise and mayonnaise-type dressings are perfectly stable when stored at room temperature after opening. Quality, not safety, is the only reason the labels on these products suggest that they be refrigerated after opening. Refrigeration ensures that the commercial mayonnaise keeps its fresh flavor for a longer period of time. Please review the product’s label for more information on storage and shelf life.

The "indeed can kill it" comes from Death of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Real
Mayonnaise and Reduced-Calorie Mayonnaise Dressing as
Influenced by Initial Population and Storage Temperature which concluded "The pathogen did not grow in either mayonnaise formulation, regardless of the inoculum level or storage temperature. Increases in storage temperature from 5 to 20 degrees C and from 20 to 30 degrees C resulted in dramatic increases in the rate of inactivation." [30 degrees C = 86F]