Soft cheeses, including pasteurized, and cold cuts are frequently colonized with Listeria monocytogenes, which can thrive in pure salt, freezing temps, and many industrial surfaces. It's why you're supposed to keep them chilled, which does slow growth. If you're serving to someone pregnant, diabetic, immune suppressed, under 5 or over 50, toss it. In these people, it can cause premature birth/stillbirth, blood infection and meningitis. FDA recalls products for Listeria contamination daily, it's so common. Pregnant women should just avoid altogether. Not worth the risk. FDA, CDC, & USDA all have evidence-based info on their websites.
To be clear, I'm no shill for the USDA but their guidelines are a good place to start if nothing else. I try to include them in my comments for two reasons -- for professional liability and because my opinion is only just that. It's your risk, not mine, always your call.
Remember they have to advise for the lowest common denominator which, for consumers, is someone with a dial thermometer who doesn't understand how to use it nor its limitations. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist -- I just stick it in the meat and it tells me if it's done." Thus the safety margins. I could write a chapter on the subject, easy.
I wish I could count on USDA but they had us overcooking pork for years, unless we ignored the advice, which I did. I'll check back and let you know how it goes....
Interesting situation. USDA rules say throw it out. If it weren't for it being sealed, I'd agree since any pathogenic bacteria that happened to settle on it could easily cause trouble in the time it was at RT. Hard cheeses don't have enough moisture to promote rapid bacterial growth but soft ones do. Assuming we're talking about a pasteurized product, the big issue, I think, would be spoilage bacteria which is ever-present but would be evident as soon as you open the package (or as boulangere intimated, will likely become evident sooner than usual).
Cheeses are perhaps the only food I'm not worried about leaving out overnight. Even the fresh ones are relatively low in water, and it's that which contributes to a spoilage medium. That said, you'll probably want to eat it up sooner rather than later. And since you're fortunate enough to have garden tomatoes, which you likely also want to eat up soon, you're in luck!
I want to eat it with garden tomatoes. It is supposed to be kept refrigerated. It isn't meat, and the seal wasn't broken, so I'm not too leary about trying it, but wondered if anyone knew more about the effect of non refrigeration on fresh mozza for 10 hours. Sorry that I wasn't more specific.
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To be clear, I'm no shill for the USDA but their guidelines are a good place to start if nothing else. I try to include them in my comments for two reasons -- for professional liability and because my opinion is only just that. It's your risk, not mine, always your call.
Remember they have to advise for the lowest common denominator which, for consumers, is someone with a dial thermometer who doesn't understand how to use it nor its limitations. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist -- I just stick it in the meat and it tells me if it's done." Thus the safety margins. I could write a chapter on the subject, easy.
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Interesting situation. USDA rules say throw it out. If it weren't for it being sealed, I'd agree since any pathogenic bacteria that happened to settle on it could easily cause trouble in the time it was at RT. Hard cheeses don't have enough moisture to promote rapid bacterial growth but soft ones do. Assuming we're talking about a pasteurized product, the big issue, I think, would be spoilage bacteria which is ever-present but would be evident as soon as you open the package (or as boulangere intimated, will likely become evident sooner than usual).