The experts would recommend NOT feeding uncooked meat to animals. (Just google "unsafe human foods for animals.") You'd be surprised at how many different "human" foods are not safe for animals to eat.
Public service announcement :-)
The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) also has an always-staffed Poison Control hotline at 1-888-426-4435. (They charge a nominal fee to your credit card for the immediate response and expert advice that could ultimately save your animal's life.)
This is not the place to discuss this but I will only add there is a very wide arrray of "expert" opinions about what a proper and natural diet is for dogs. While my dogs are not fed totally raw they eat a good proportion of raw, whole meat and thrive. Dogs digestive systems did not evolve eating cooked cereals from bags. I agree, many human foods, many of which are in commercial dog food are not suitable for animals.
I have to agree with Caninechef. My dogs have eaten 80% raw for many years and generations. It's always up for debate, but dogs are natural scavengers (as opposed to cats who are hunters). When they are fed a raw food diet, they redevelop the natural enzymes that allow them to safely eat raw foods. Cats as well, but their food needs to be pristine. If you do some research, you'll find a lot of vets are supporting this way of feeding our pets. I could go on and on, but I won't.
Actually I did consider suggesting to use to add to dog food if a subject is available. Dog's have amazingly resiliant digestive systems by design and very acid stomachs. Be guided by the particular dogs history, mine are fine eating anything at anytime but some do require more consisancy in their diet.
Food Scientist here. Check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer to see what the current temp is. Ovens take time to cool and when you factor in the thickness and type of pan you are using (thick glass is more insulated than an aluminum pan), you might be okay. For E. Coli (your main worry here) the lethal strain (O 157 H7) produces a really nasty toxin that optimally grows at about 95ºF.
I would also recommend cutting through it to see how much has been cooked. Cooking it thoroughly to 160ºF is crucial if you decide to give it the green light. However, since discussion has started, assuming it is still in a holding pattern, your meatloaf has been sitting for about 2.5 hours. Best to throw it away at that point. Best practice is don't risk it. Ground beef is still cheaper than hospital bills and pepto!
Here's one USDA link specifying two hours--one hour if the temperature is more than 90 degrees F. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/danger-zone-40-f-140-f
This situation seems different though--Kris's meatloaf started out at 350. It would be interesting to see some info on how long it would have taken for it to fall to 140 and how long it would have been between 40 and 140. Can one of you food service professionals weigh in with some more detail?
You are so very right about that. I guess I wrongly assumed the oven was turned off very early (meat still cold) because it sat for 90 minutes. I just recently took my yearly food handlers card test and that scenario never came up. Calling them tomorrow.
Well, now that I think about it, of course the meatloaf itself would have been between 40 and 140 for that whole hour and a half, above 40 when as it went into the oven and probably never reaching an internal temp of 140, unless Kris has an extremely well-insulated oven. But, still an interesting math problem.
(Welcome to Food52, Kevin Ivey. We're hungry for your expertise.)
According to USDA, the danger window is anything over 2 hours. They are kind of the parents of meat and chicken in this country (USA). You can google if you like.
If I knew Windows 8.1 better than I do, I would. New laptop. You can google it and choose the USFDA site that will pop up. I just recently looked in regards to another question someone posted. They say it over and over again. There is certainly nothing wrong with being uber cautious. I think USDA is VERY cautious. Lots of good info on their site.
Yes it is ok, according to all food safety standards you have 4 hours in the "danger zone" between 40 and 140 degrees before food needs to be discarded. So get off the computer and finish baking it.
27 Comments
Public service announcement :-)
The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) also has an always-staffed Poison Control hotline at 1-888-426-4435. (They charge a nominal fee to your credit card for the immediate response and expert advice that could ultimately save your animal's life.)
I would also recommend cutting through it to see how much has been cooked. Cooking it thoroughly to 160ºF is crucial if you decide to give it the green light. However, since discussion has started, assuming it is still in a holding pattern, your meatloaf has been sitting for about 2.5 hours. Best to throw it away at that point. Best practice is don't risk it. Ground beef is still cheaper than hospital bills and pepto!
This situation seems different though--Kris's meatloaf started out at 350. It would be interesting to see some info on how long it would have taken for it to fall to 140 and how long it would have been between 40 and 140. Can one of you food service professionals weigh in with some more detail?
(Welcome to Food52, Kevin Ivey. We're hungry for your expertise.)
Voted the Best Reply!
A 20+ yr foodservice professional
Better to order a pizza than to suffer food sickness. Trust me! :-)