Safe to eat

[Anonymous]

Made beef stew in a crock pot. Left it out on the counter for about 4 hours after it was done to cool off. Is it safe to eat?

[Anonymous]

yes

[Anonymous]

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't. I'm sure it wasn't still hot after 4 hours.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm... It was room temperature when I put it away.

[Anonymous]

The "rules" say no, but we've eaten many things through the years that sat out for a similar time frame with no problem. I only do it when the meat I used was very fresh when cooked.