AboutCarol Schlitt Expertise I can answer questions on home food safety, sanitation, home food preservation and commercial food safety (HACCP).
Experience I am an Extension educator, nutrition, wellness and food safety. I am a certified HACCP manager and a food safety instructor for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Organizations International Association for Food Protection, American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (Certified CFCS), National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Society for Nutrition Education.
Education/Credentials BS - University of Illinois
MS - Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Question Yesterday around 2:00pm we ate cooked ham for Thanksgiving...it got left out and I finally put some in the fridge about 9:00pm. Would it still be any good or should it be thrown out???
Answer Hi Robyn,
The recommendation is to not consume potentially hazardous foods like ham, turkey, chicken, etc that have been at room temperature for over 2 hours. The problem is some bacteria can start to grow in the cooked food and unfortunately some of the them can produce a toxin that is not deactivated by further cooking. These bacteria are not visible and you can't taste or smell them. Thus food can look good, taste good and smell great but can still make you ill.
