Collard greens left at room temperature for 4.5 hours. Safe to eat?

Question

OK, I'm an idiot and forgot about a pot of (vegetarian) greens on the stove.  I turned them off, covered them and left them for about 4 1/2 hours.  I know the oft-quoted guidelines say two hours is the max because bacteria starts growing.  But it's a huge pot of greens and I am having trouble bringing myself to throw them out!  What are my chances of getting sick?

Sue · Answer

What if you were at a cookout for hours. I've seen food left out on the table that people ate on all day and not get sick. I left my greens out for about 7 hours with the lid on them in a cold AC house and I'm eating them and they're fine. I also cooked them at a boil for another hour. 4 1/2 hours is nothing. I leave the crock pot going for 8 hours on low sometimes. It depends on the food. I wouldn't leave a salad or eggs or meat out. Cooked vegetables with a sealed lid? Come on now. 😆 People didn't even have refrigerators years ago. I don't think they threw anything away.

cathyeats · Answer

I boiled the hell out of them and I’m alive to tell the tale. They were delicious with my vegan hoppin’ john and cornbread!

dinner A. · Answer

I would eat them with no qualms. You near-sterilized your food by cooking it, so the chance that any bacteria have grown up to a number that could make you sick is very low. If you're concerned, you could kill off anything that grew by bringing it to boiling temperature again and cooking it for 5 min.

Stephanie B. · Answer

True!

Nancy · Answer

Maybe risk it....

Nancy · Answer

Stephanie - Maybe maybe rusk it in a normal time, but be more wary of adding stress to one's immune system with covid 19 virus running around.Nancy

Stephanie B. · Answer

I'd eat them, but I certainly won't advise anyone else to if you're not comfortable with it or serve it to others. That's just me speaking as someone who has an iron stomach 🤷🏻‍♀️

cathyeats · Answer

Yes, fully cooked. Which is worse, of course.

Stephanie B. · Answer

They were fully cooked?

Maurine H. · Answer

Oh, this one's tough! I definitely been in a similar boat. I do think it's safest to go with the two-hour rule, though, unfortunately.

Collard greens left at room temperature for 4.5 hours. Safe to eat?

10 Comments

Popular on Food52