Expert: Carl Copeland - 4/14/2008

Question
Hi, my husband forgot to put away the hamburger helper from last nights dinner (already in Tupperware) and left it on the counter all night. my concern is that i used sour cream in the  dish. is it edible or garbage? and does it matter how much i cook it afterwards to "kill" the bacteria?

Answer
Holly,

How are you doing?  I must admit I have left food on the counter overnight, but it is suggested you should refrigerate cooked foods within two hours of cooking which we know doesn't happen all of the time. However with the sour cream in the picture I myself would not eat it. Cooking food that is left out does not particularly kill the bacteria.

For more food storage info please visit
http://www.Food-Storage-Info.com/meatstorage.html

Take Care,
Carl