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Here's an easy idea to cut the worry. I bought a chest that is the size of a common medium-size ice chest, only it plugs in to the cigarette lighter. I can't remember the cost now, but it was around $60. Put your cold stuff in there and don't worry anymore.
Read the instructions on these! The ones I've seen caution not to put ice in them.
Most grocery stores use open refrigerators cooler for products listed below, that could not maintain below 40ºF, I don't think they restock every 2 hours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina
The Two-Hour Rule - very conservative approach
Danger Zone is between 4ºC (40ºF) and 40ºC (140ºF)
Most food held above 4ºC /40ºF for more than 2 hours should be discarded. This includes meat, poultry, seafood, hot dogs, luncheon meats, pizza, soft cheese, shredded cheease, low fat cheese, milk, yogourt, eggs, cut-up fresh fruit, fish sauces, hoisin sauce, opened creamy based dressings and spaghetti sauce, cooked pasta, fresh pasta, cream filled pastry, pre-cut, pre-washed packaged greens, cooked vegetables, opened vegetable juices. Opened mayonnaise, tartar sauce and horseradish should be discarded if held above 10ºC /50ºF for more than 8 hours. Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education
Corned beef, like bacon, is a pre-cured product that has a virtually infinite shelf life, unrefrigerated. That's why it's corned---it's a preservative process. How do you think the prospectors and cattle drovers in the old west kept their bacon refrigerated for weeks? Sailing ships crossed the ocean with barrels of corned beef.
Your frozen patties were very likely still frozen in the middle when you got home, which by itself would have kept the thawed outer parts at refrigerator temperature.
Pasteurized milk never goes bad, it contains no pathogens. After sitting out for a few days, it is likely to clot and become something like yogurt, in both taste and texture, and if you wait long enough, it will become cheese. If it is clotted, it is still perfectly safe to drink, and would be an excellent, refreshing drink if you add sugar. When you milk does expire, save some in a separate jar for baking or for pancakes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TKramar
Why do deli meats like ham and turkey, get slimy after a week in the refrigerator?!
At that point, I have to assume that they're bad--is this a good assumption?
The slime is only on the surface. Rinse it off in warm water, and smell the product. If it smells OK, it's fine.
Lunch meats will last longer if left out of the refrigerator, in daylight. Microbes will not grow in the light. They'll just dry out, so wrap them in transparent plastic and hang them up so light reaches all sides. Microbes thrive in three environmental conditions: Warmth, moisture, and darkness. Taking away the darkness will retard them just as well as taking away the warmth.
I've never tried this, but theoretically, if you could make your fridge light stay on when closed, I think your food would last longer. But it's probably nearly impossible to disable the door switch.
Most grocery stores use open refrigerators cooler for products listed below, that could not maintain below 40ºF, I don't think they restock every 2 hours.
Um, dont you think that they know about these rules, as well as the manufacturers of said open coolers?
And yes, those suckers maintain temps below 40F.
Last night (Sunday) I cooked up cheese and mushroom ravioli with stir-fried red bell pepper, onion, garlic and crimini mushrooms in a sauce made with fresh tomatoes stewed and a hefty dollop of salsa.
This morning I took it out of the fridge (in the original pot) intending to spoon some into a container for lunch today at work. Except, I forgot about it, and it sat on the kitchen counter for about ten hours today. AC wasn't on so it was probably well into the 70s inside.
The tightly-fitting lid was on the pot all day - if it had sat open all day I would not consider eating it!
Is this OK for me to reheat for dinner tonight, or should I toss it?
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Is this safe to eat? (Food safety question.)
AC wasn't on so it was probably well into the 70s inside. 
