How long can ground beef sit out at room temperature?

[Kickass_d16z6]

I wont go into why...but a giant pot of chili was left out at room temperature for about 12 hours, is it still ok to eat considering it has (cooked) ground beef in it?

[urhomieblaze]

i'd do it.
if it's already fully cooked i say it's ok.

[Weston-work]

If you have health insurance, you might as well make use of it...

[cesarp]

it should be fine

[vince]

chase it with alcohol just to be sure.

[Brian]

should be fine, especially if you reheat it before eating it. You just don't want to leave raw meat out for periods of time

[Kickass_d16z6]

Well, I didn't instantly die, and thats good enough for me.

Actually tastes better than it did last night

[Mark_H]

Fwiw I've eaten Pizza that sat out for 12+ hours before

[Bedlam]

The general rule of thumb is "farm to fork in 4 hours" that means total time that ANY food product can be from 40F to 140F is 4 hours total..so it is absolutely not recommended that you eat something thats been hanging out at room temp for that long. Bacteria grows exponentially..keep that in mind.

[Kwando]

you should be ok. just reheat it. I've had spaghetti sauce sit out, and i'm not dead yet.

[Dave_L]

I don't trust food that's sat out but I'm really picky about food. I get nervous drinking milk the day before expiration. I know that's weird but that's just how I am.

[Jerkmode9316]

Well, I didn't instantly die, and thats good enough for me.

Actually tastes better than it did last night

I actually think this is because the tomato sauce cures....Same effect if even when thrown in the fridge I beleive.
Same thing with spaghetti. Ever wonder why it tastes better the day after, as leftovers? Well maybe not everyone thinks so, but spaghetti or lasagna is way better the day after its cooked, IMO.

[Jerkmode9316]

I don't trust food that's sat out but I'm really picky about food. I get nervous drinking milk the day before expiration. I know that's weird but that's just how I am.

I don't think its wierd. All it takes is one instance of food poisoning and you wont ever want to go through that shit again.
Believe me, it was the last time I ever ate Arbys curly fries(Or anything for that matter) after being left out for any good amount of time.

[subiesweetie]

From the article "Focus on Ground Beef", written by the Food Safety and Inspection Service division of the USDA:

"Refrigerate promptly after cooking. Ground beef left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be discarded. If it is a hot day over 90 °F, 1 hour should be the limit. There could be enough bacterial growth to make someone ill if left out longer. If ground beef is refrigerated promptly after cooking, it can be safely refrigerated for about 3 or 4 days. If frozen, it should keep its quality for about 4 months. When reheating fully-cooked patties or casseroles containing ground beef, be sure the internal temperature reaches 165 °F or is hot and steaming."

Next time, just cover and store it.

[Minotaur]

My chili sits in the refridge for 7 days before I serve it.. 12 hours at room temp just expedites that effort!!

Sarcasm aside, I'd probably still eat it.