I'm not sure of the question. Does the OP mean they left out raw corn on the cob, or cooked corn on the cob?
If it's raw...24 hours is nothing, heck even a few days is nothing. (and no it won't taste as good as freshly cooked---but it's May and the corn has been shipped from the southern hemisphere and stored for a day before you purchased it--mostly without refrigeration.
Because the sugars start converting as soon as the corn is picked, friends who planted it used to joke that they always planted it uphill from the house & started the water boiling before they picked it! I can tell you from experience that it's best cooked ASAP after purchase, but yours will be OK.
It'll be fine food-safety wise, but probably less sweet than when it was fresher. The sugars begin converting to starch soon after the corn is harvested.
If I am wrong one of our food safety experts will weigh in but I think it's perfectly safe to eat corn left at room temperature for 24 hrs. You see corn in husk at farm stands all the time and I am sure they sit longer than 24 hrs unrefrigerated.
5 Comments
If it's raw...24 hours is nothing, heck even a few days is nothing. (and no it won't taste as good as freshly cooked---but it's May and the corn has been shipped from the southern hemisphere and stored for a day before you purchased it--mostly without refrigeration.
Voted the Best Reply!