I have to throw this out, don’t I?

[Ausmumof3]

Yesterday I put pumpkin in to roast.  We had to rush out so I left it cooling in the oven and planning to pop it in the fridge when we got home.  I totally forgot till this morning.

My house is cold right now but not fridge level cold.  
 

😬

At least the chickens will be happy!

 

[Rosie_0801]

It'll be fine unless you were baking it in animal fat.

[El...]

I'd still eat it. I wouldn't freeze it. Maybe soup and pie!

[Melissa Louise]

I'd eat it. 

[Lulu]

It’s fine, unless you put butter or some other type of fat on it. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Another one who would eat it.  If you want to be extra careful you could bring it up to roasting temperature again just for a short time - 5 minutes to kill germs and then let it cool again. 

[J-rap]

I'd eat it.

[HazelAnne]

I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t eat it. I may be overly cautious, but figure “better safe than sorry”

[popmom]

Why would adding a fat matter? Does something happen to fats at high temp? I leave bacon grease and butter out at room temperature. I once called poison control because my husband fed my kids green beans that had been sitting on the stove top for over 48 hours—with bacon grease in them. (He thought I had just made it) The lady said it was fine. 

I would personally be more concerned about the starches than any added fat.

Edited May 20, 2021 by popmom

[popmom]

@Ausmumof3 fwiw, I’d eat it! 

[Tap]

I would be fine with it. It was in the oven, which had been upto baking temp and I would assume you had it on a baking pan (so  no meat/other items/splatter/insect contamination). The amount of bacteria that it would have picked up would be low. The oven won't kill all the bacteria tho, and the warm, sweet, starch will be a mega feast for any bacteria that was left naturally occuring on it. 

Personally, I don't leave animal based fats like butter or bacon grease out at room temp. But I know some who do and don't have a problem with it. I do wonder if it is one of those things that a body needs to get used to? Kinda like how locals in Mexico can drink/eat locally and be fine, us travelers from up North get traveler's diarrhea from the same foods/water.  I think this is what people are talking about when they mention fat being a deciding factor in the safety of it.

[Laura Corin]

I'd eat it.

Fwiw I  have left butter out on the counter all my life, except when I lived in places where it would melt.

[popmom]

1 hour ago, Tap said:

I would be fine with it. It was in the oven, which had been upto baking temp and I would assume you had it on a baking pan (so  no meat/other items/splatter/insect contamination). The amount of bacteria that it would have picked up would be low. The oven won't kill all the bacteria tho, and the warm, sweet, starch will be a mega feast for any bacteria that was left naturally occuring on it. 

Personally, I don't leave animal based fats like butter or bacon grease out at room temp. But I know some who do and don't have a problem with it. I do wonder if it is one of those things that a body needs to get used to? Kinda like how locals in Mexico can drink/eat locally and be fine, us travelers from up North get traveler's diarrhea from the same foods/water.  I think this is what people are talking about when they mention fat being a deciding factor in the safety of it.

Yes—the starches pose more of a problem. 

And no, your body doesn’t have to get used to it. This isn’t the same thing as eating contaminated food in Mexico.

Most of the time I keep bacon grease in the refrigerator. I am very particular about straining all the bits of bacon out though, so really the only issue with leaving it at room temp is that it will go rancid quicker—just like butter, vegetable oil or shortening. That’s why I refrigerate it. There’s no danger in leaving it out though. I try to keep my butter in a butter bell, but we go through it so fast it’s not really necessary. I’ll read that “food safety experts say blah, blah...”, but it’s getting silly IMO—and wasteful. These days—If I’m in doubt, I consult with my 93 yr old Mawmaw. 

I made buttermilk pies with old (way past expiration date) buttermilk last week. It’s buttermilk. Nobody died. The pies were delish. Thanks, Mawmaw!! 

Speaking of Mexico...I didn’t know that mayonnaise doesn’t require refrigeration until my husband spent time there for business. It may affect the taste, but it’s definitely not required for safety. That blew my mind.

i do have certain food safety non negotiables. I’m obsessive about meat thermometers lol.

Edited May 20, 2021 by popmom

[J-rap]

3 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

I'd eat it.

Fwiw I  have left butter out on the counter all my life, except when I lived in places where it would melt.

I always leave butter on the counter too, except on summer days when it's so hot that it melts.  Usually we go through a stick of butter in a week or two, so that's how long it sits on our counter.

[Ausmumof3]

We had pumpkin soup and I made sure it was nice and hot.  I’ll let you all know next week if it was a bad idea 😂

I’m a butter on the bench in winter person.  Spreadable stuff is always either so fake or so expensive.

[Katy]

I’d throw it out.