Am I going to die if I eat this?

November 5, 2006 5:05 AM

My crockpot failed to heat up last night. I now have a pot of raw chicken and onions that's been sitting out for 10 hours. Would it be safe to eat if I cooked it?

(Sorry if this has been asked before... the only related question I saw was this thread, but that was about refrigerated meat and veggies).

posted by jheiz to Food & Drink (17 answers total)

Best answer: Not safe. Not even close.

See, e.g., http://www.canfightbac.org/cpcfse/en/cookwell/ask/left_out_prep/#43:

How long can the chicken sit inside the oven (at no temperature) before cooking begins, without spoiling?

Chicken like all perishable food is susceptible to contamination when not handled correctly. Raw chicken should not be left at room temperature for longer than 1 - 2 hours. At room temperature harmful microorganisms can multiply quickly which can lead to food spoilage and foodborne illness when eaten. The chicken can be safely cooked the night before and kept refrigerated until it is placed in the oven to heat and serve.
posted by ootsocsid at 5:36 AM on November 5, 2006

I must second this. Please, please, don't eat it.
posted by litlnemo at 5:55 AM on November 5, 2006

no no no !!!
posted by metasav at 5:57 AM on November 5, 2006

Response by poster: Thanks, all, it has been thrown out. I didn't think it was a good idea myself but my husband has a constitution of steel and takes some convincing that just because he's survived something in the past doesn't mean it was a good idea.
posted by jheiz at 6:16 AM on November 5, 2006

Interesting. When I was in the restaurant business, it was taught by a training company the majority use that you have 4 hours to use chicken outside the "safe zone" of 32F-161F.
posted by jmd82 at 8:35 AM on November 5, 2006

If I recall correctly, Alton Brown says you have four hours outside the safe zone. However, that time starts the second you take it out of the cooler at the grocery store. So if it's in your cart for 20 minutes, then in your car for 20, then waiting to get put away for another ten, that 4 hours begins to disappear,

That said, when I roast whole chickens, I let them sit at room temperature for an hour to get the chill off and make sure it roasts more evenly.
posted by mostlymartha at 9:37 AM on November 5, 2006

1 to 2 hours is overly paranoid, the US government says 4 hours and you can't get much more nanny-like than the FDA. That said, by 10 hours at room temperature the bacteria will be having a backstroke competition in your stew.
posted by TungstenChef at 10:47 AM on November 5, 2006

10 hours is way too long.

Time to buy a new crock pot. :-(
posted by drstein at 10:54 AM on November 5, 2006

Did it smell funky? If not, I probably would have tried it.

I mean, come on. Foodborne illness, big whoop-de-doo. It's not like chicken has those gross parasitic worms that come out of your skin. And even if it did, the cooking would kill them.
posted by trevyn at 11:30 AM on November 5, 2006

Not exactly an answer to your question, but I gave up on a crockpot as soon as I learned that "Low" = 200 degrees F and "High" = 300 degrees F. (They had to standardize the temperatures so that crockpot brand-independent cookbooks could be written.) I find it much more convenient to use my own pot and the oven at the appropriate temperature, plus I can use settings in between if I want...
posted by LeisureGuy at 11:53 AM on November 5, 2006

I'm pretty blase about the more stringent safety guidelines, myself. I eat runny eggs and steak tartare with abandon. I buy food from street carts when travelling in foreign countries. And even I wouldn't take a chance on 10-hours-later raw chicken.
posted by desuetude at 12:13 PM on November 5, 2006 [1 favorite]

Did it smell funky? If not, I probably would have tried it. I mean, come on. Foodborne illness, big whoop-de-doo.

Famous. Last. Words.
posted by frogan at 12:38 PM on November 5, 2006

Famous. Last. Words.

Awww, come on. Not last words. Just enough to make you wish they were your last words.
posted by jmd82 at 1:27 PM on November 5, 2006

Does the crock pot induce boiling? if so, and the crock pot boils it for quite a while, like hours, then I would have chanced it. Not that many bugs survive being boiled -- they tend to explode. I mean, you boil water for three minutes to sterilize it.
posted by Rumple at 1:29 PM on November 5, 2006

I had food poisoning once and spent 8 days in the hospital with it.

Glad you tossed it.
posted by konolia at 4:46 PM on November 5, 2006

It's not like chicken has those gross parasitic worms that come out of your skin. And even if it did, the cooking would kill them.

Cooking would kill them, but the non-biological toxins excreted by bacteria in room temperature meats and other foods stay in the food and are unaffected by heat. These toxins build up with time, and I think ten hours of raw sitting is more than enough for a lethal does. (ianad)
posted by brownpau at 7:38 PM on November 5, 2006

Dose. DOSE.
posted by brownpau at 7:39 PM on November 5, 2006