I left chicken sitting out for four hours, how long do I have to eat it before it goes bad?

Question

In my haphazardly quick attempt to clean the kitchen before work, I put the leftovers in the cupboard instead of the fridge, yeah, hair-brained I know. It was an accident.

It's really good, and I hate to waste it. How long do I have to eat it before it grows too much bacteria to be safe? If I heat it really hot before I eat it, will it help?

I really hate to waste food... especially THAT! It was good and time-consuming to make in the first place.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Don't worry. It's still good to eat. I do it all the time, but only with

fried chicken. If it's got any liquid on it like maybe a stew, gravy

or soup, well maybe you should smell it first. If it still smells good,

then go ahead and reheat and eat right away or let it cool and then

put it in the freezer for a later time.

Answer 2

Leave it for another 4 hours until it begins to sprout purple bumps. These should then have blue petals growing from them which make perfect beds for the ticks that will erupt from the bumps. These are full of nutrients, especially when fully grown (they take about 9 hours to grow). Hence, leave the chicken for 8 hours so you get them at their juiciest state and they will not have a chance to escape and crawl all over your house.

Answer 3

Cook it Immediately, You don't have to eat it Immediately after its cooked, you can put it in your refrigerator & or Freezer and reheat it when you're ready to eat it but you MUST COOK It or else throw it out.

Chicken gets salmonella very easy & can make you VERY SICK

so if its out in the warm weather, then throw it out and dont' bother cooking it.. Smelling it is probably the best way to know if its good, If it smells bad, GET RID OF IT..

If In Doubt, THROW IT OUT!!!!

Answer 4

About two hours. Most things start to spoil after that, if your house was warm maybe a little less time. If things were frozen and still frosty no big deal but if it was leftovers its a no go dude.

Answer 5

Meat can only safely be left out for one hour. Otherwise you risk becoming ill.