Is it okay to eat cooked meat that was left out?

J

Julie

New member
My mom made tacos but I wasn't eating until later. The meat was still warm so she put it in a sealed tupperware but left it on the counter, not in the fridge. I reheated it (from being in room temp) about 3 hours later...is this ok? I heard about a 2 hour rule but idk if that meant only if it was uncovered.
 
nope im in Foods at school and we learned that if food is left out 2 hours and is in the temp. danger zone (40-140) it can be reheated to 165 degrees but since yours has been out 3..i doubt its above 140 degrees :/
its not about it being covered, its the temperature...if the temperature is between 40-140 degrees, its like a breeding ground for bacteria thats already there
 
nope im in Foods at school and we learned that if food is left out 2 hours and is in the temp. danger zone (40-140) it can be reheated to 165 degrees but since yours has been out 3..i doubt its above 140 degrees :/
its not about it being covered, its the temperature...if the temperature is between 40-140 degrees, its like a breeding ground for bacteria thats already there
 
Meat should not be in the 140-40 range for more than an hour. It also needs to be cooled within 2 hours, that's correct. It should have been thrown out at that point, covered or not. As long as you reheated it to at least 165 degrees, you should be okay.
 
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