Expert: Chris Manley - 9/7/2007

Question
I made home-made turkey soup from a turkey we had the night before with vegies and broth and forgot to put it in the fridge overnight. It sat to cool in an aluminum cooking pot for 10 hrs till I remembered to put in it the fridge. Will it still be safe to eat it today?  

Answer
No, the potential for bacterial growth in the 10 hours it sat at room temperature is very high.  Cooking will not always destroy toxins produced by some bacteria, so if food has been between 41 and 140 degrees for more than 4 hours the recommendation is to throw it out.