I roasted a large batch of carrots and onions in olive oil last night and failed to refrigerate afterwards. Are they safe to eat (12 hours later)?
12 Comments
healthierkitchenAugust 4, 2015
USDA and Serve Safe guidelines would have you toss them. If you were serving them to others and/or running a restaurant, there's no doubt that you wouldn't want to take the chance. We make choices for our own consumption that we wouldn't make if others are involved.
Alyce M.July 31, 2015
I would probably eat them, thinking that I would eat them if they were fresh and had sat out all night! (Onions always stay out all night, don't they?!) On the other hand, stilltasty.com (a good source of info for this sort of thing) says refrigerate cooked carrots within 2 hours of cooking.
cookbookchickJuly 31, 2015
I would eat them! Roasted veggies stay out all day on antipasti tables in Italy and Spain.
Susan W.July 31, 2015
I wouldn't toss, but then I also keep my farm fresh eggs on my counter in a pretty bowl (not in the summer). It really needs to be whatever you are comfortable with.
ChefJuneJuly 31, 2015
Depends upon if your kitchen was inordinately hot during the period when they were unrefrigerated. However, you've mentioned no ingredient that sounds very perishable. Vegetables and olive oil? I'd eat it.
drbabsJuly 31, 2015
I'm that person who says "if in doubt, throw it out," so I did some research for you. I looked up the USDA website and food safety.org to see what they had to say about roast vegetables. The answer is, nothing. So I, the "worry-wart, germ phobic American" (food poisoning is horrible) would probably still eat those vegetables. I hope this helps.
Susan W.July 31, 2015
That's saying a lot because you toss before I do.
karmanAugust 1, 2015
Thanks so much Barbara! Having spent a long night in an emergency room with severe food poisoning, I'd rather not go through that ordeal again. I try to never waste food...but food safety matters.
karmanJuly 31, 2015
Not really looking for a lecture or name-calling but thanks anyway.
702551July 31, 2015
It's just an observation of modern American food consumption vis-a-vis the rest of the world and history.
You probably posted this to get affirmation for whatever action you intend to do. That's fine, you'll get all sort of responses.
John Oliver (Last Week Tonight) covered the topic recently: https://www.youtube.com...
Anyhow, good luck with your decision and have a great weekend!
You probably posted this to get affirmation for whatever action you intend to do. That's fine, you'll get all sort of responses.
John Oliver (Last Week Tonight) covered the topic recently: https://www.youtube.com...
Anyhow, good luck with your decision and have a great weekend!
702551July 31, 2015
Despite the fact that humans have been cooking food and leaving it out for hours for millenia, someone here is going to mention the terrifying "danger zone" and advise you to toss everything.
Carrots and onions are about the cheapest produce you can buy, so it's not like you are wasting money.
About 40% of food in America never gets eaten. Americans love to throw away food almost as much as they like to eat it. The amount of food Americans throw away has increased by 50% since the 1970s.
Anyhow, go ahead and toss it if you're probably a worry-wart, 21st century germ-phobic American, but consider the billion people on this planet who would gladly eat it, just as their ancestors (and ours) have done for millennia.
Carrots and onions are about the cheapest produce you can buy, so it's not like you are wasting money.
About 40% of food in America never gets eaten. Americans love to throw away food almost as much as they like to eat it. The amount of food Americans throw away has increased by 50% since the 1970s.
Anyhow, go ahead and toss it if you're probably a worry-wart, 21st century germ-phobic American, but consider the billion people on this planet who would gladly eat it, just as their ancestors (and ours) have done for millennia.
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