Expert: Carol Schlitt - 11/10/2006

Question
Yesterday I put a roast in a crockpot and accidentally left it on warm all day.  Can I still cook the roast and eat it?
Thanks!

Answer
Hi Greg,

The warm setting on your crockpot is designed to hold food at 140 degrees AFTER it is cooked. However, holding raw food at this temperature for an extended period of time is not high enough to kill bacteria -- in fact it is at a temperature the encourages bacterial growth.  Chances are the internal temperature of your roast was below 140 degrees and we consider this in the danger zone for bacterial growth. Because it was heated so slowly, any harmful bacteria that was present was given the perfect conditions for growth -- warm, moist protein-rich food.

I can just hear you saying -- but if I cook it won't that kill any bacteria and make it safe?  Maybe -- maybe not.  You see some bacteria produce a toxing that is not deactivated by heat.

So unfortunately my recommendation would be to not cook the roast and eat it.  While it may be safe, you can't tell by looking at the roast. Harmful bacteria do not give off signals -- you can't see them, taste them or smell them.

I'm sorry Greg -- wish I had better news for you.

Carol