Can I eat this?: 10 hr melted ice cream

February 7, 2019 5:59 PM

Can I eat this?: Frozen quart of Tillamook Marionberry Pie ice cream, left in a 66 degree room for 10 hours, then put into freezer. I assume it was thoroughly melted, but I didn't open it.
posted by clseace to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Best answer: Chef Google says dairy should not be consumed if left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. It definitely would have been left out long enough to melt completely. Throw it out. Refrozen melted ice cream wouldn’t have the same texture even if it were safe to eat, which it wouldn’t be.
posted by Autumnheart at 6:07 PM on February 7, 2019 [5 favorites]

Agreed. Even if it was safe to eat, it won't be any good.
posted by acidnova at 6:16 PM on February 7, 2019 [5 favorites]

Best answer: If I pour a glass of milk at 8:00 AM I will absolutely finish it at noon, and have done so hundreds of times with never an ill effect. Maybe I am super powerful, or maybe dairy doesn't turn to poison after a few hours at room temp?

Was it unopened, starting from a sealed and pasteurized state? I can't tell, but if so, please wait until it's frozen hard and mail it to me.

Keep in mind that thawing can never create pathogens, and the bulk of the material was very likely well within the safe side of the USDA danger zone, which is itself highly conservative.
The USDA danger zone says dairy is fine after two hours of room temperature.

This USDA document mentions that you may experience a decrease in quality of the ice cream due to re-crystallization.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:17 PM on February 7, 2019 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Fully sealed (plastic wrapping around lid), pasteurized.
posted by clseace at 6:22 PM on February 7, 2019

Best answer: For further reference, here's a guide from the AU govt. that indicates that you should throw it out if the temp of the food was between 5°C and 60°C for 4 hrs or more.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:33 PM on February 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

The texture will be probably be ruined, regardless of whether it’s safe. Cheap ice creams with a lot of stabilizers can refreeze frighteningly well, but premium ice creams usually can’t survive thawing without just ceasing to be ice cream.
posted by mskyle at 6:37 PM on February 7, 2019 [11 favorites]

God no. Even if it doesn’t kill you, re-frozen ice cream is nasty.
posted by cgg at 6:48 PM on February 7, 2019 [6 favorites]

Ick, no. Even if there wasn't a food safety issue (which there is), the texture will be terrible. Better off spending $4 for another carton.
posted by Aleyn at 9:04 PM on February 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, all. I realllllly wanted this ice cream. I'm an idiot. ~sigh~
posted by clseace at 9:11 PM on February 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

That's not ice cream anymore, sorry. Melted and refrozen ice cream is just milky ice. It has to be churned while it freezes to be ice cream.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 4:33 PM on February 8, 2019 [1 favorite]