Would you eat this?

[Toocrazy!!]

Chicken thighs left out in car for 4 hours. About 70 degrees outside today. Bottom of package is cool, Not cold. top not cool, not warm. Making them in instant pot tonight. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Sealed the entire time?  Cooking to 160 degrees? (Or whatever chicken is supposed to reach)?  Yes, I would cook thoroughly and eat. 

[Toocrazy!!]

Yes. Sealed the entire time. 

[Innisfree]

I'd cook it immediately and thoroughly, but yes, I would eat it.

[Kassia]

I wouldn't eat them.  Over 40 degrees for over two hours is risky, but I'd do it if it was close to the 2 hours.  Four hours is pushing it - it's probably fine, but I'd be too nervous about getting sick.  

 

[Toocrazy!!]

Well they’re in. I’m nervous about it. I honestly never do this. I’ll have phantom stomach pains all night worrying about it. Probably wasn’t worth it in the end. I guess we’ll know tomorrow. 
they were sealed, no smell at all. 

[ktgrok]

Nope. I think 2 hours room temperature is the safe maximum. Beyond that there is risk of the bacterial having multiplied rapidly and some bacteria, even if you kill it with cooking, will already have released toxins that can make you sick. 

I'd think of it this way...if I did get sick, would I think it was worth it to have saved that $10? Like, while I'm hunched over the toilet puking, would I be willing to pay $10 to go back in time and not be sick? If so, skip to that part and throw them out, lol. I'd hate wasting them, but I'd hate making myself or worse, my kids, sick way more. 

[ktgrok]

FYI, although salmonella is killed by cooking, clostridium is not, and is found in poultry. Neither are the toxins from staph. And many types of food poisoning have no odor. 

[Toocrazy!!]

We didn’t eat it. Even after I cooked it. Even DH got nervous in the end. 

[Junie]

I wouldn't have eaten it either.

I hate it when I do something similar, especially if it's something expensive, but I figure it's cheaper to waste the food than to have to take even one person to the doctor.

[Kassia]

1 hour ago, Toocrazy!! said:

We didn’t eat it. Even after I cooked it. Even DH got nervous in the end. 

 

I'm glad you played it safe.  I try to follow, "when in doubt, throw it out" but it's very hard to waste food that might still be fine to eat.  

[Catwoman]

4 hours ago, Kassia said:

 

I'm glad you played it safe.  I try to follow, "when in doubt, throw it out" but it's very hard to waste food that might still be fine to eat.  

 

I agree! And when I do it, there’s also the frustration of being mad at myself because I left it in the car or out on the kitchen counter for too long, or discovering that I left it in the refrigerator and then forgot I had it until it was past its expiration date. 

[Acorn]

I’m glad you didn’t eat it. Yes the bacteria can be killed by cooking but there are still things that cause food poisoning unaffected by cooking. I was also thinking that 70 degrees air temperature could mean your car might be 80+ interior temperature. If it had only been an hour in the car, I would still eat it but not longer.