mac & cheese left out overnight...can we still eat it?

[Anonymous]

I made a pan of mac & cheese last night for dinner tonight because i knew that my toddler and two month old weren't going to give me time today to do it. but, between the late hour, pumping before bed, and mommy brain, i completely forgot to put it in the refrigerator. it's a recipe with a stovetop cheese sauce of cheese, butter, milk and flour. it hasn't gone in the oven yet.

what do you think? can we still eat it tonight, or do i need to make other plans for dinner tonight? i know my husband would say it was fine, but he eats things way past the point i would.

thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

It's possible that it's still "okay," but I wouldn't serve it to children. It's the milk that's a problem--it's just been out too long to be sure it's safe.

[Anonymous]

I would eat it, honestly. The milk's been pasteurized before it ever got to your home, and then it was heated when you made it. It's OK.

[Anonymous]

I would eat it without a second thought -- I have pretty low standards, this pumping-mommy-brained-WOH-mom woudl have eaten it at 2am for a snack and then packed it for my breakfast.....trying to leave enough for the kids dinner

good for you for cooking ahead!

[Anonymous]

I'd eat it, but not sure of the kids.

[Anonymous]

You're going to put it in the oven for a while anyway, right? It should be fine then. Just let it get bubbly in the oven to be on the safe side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're going to put it in the oven for a while anyway, right? It should be fine then. Just let it get bubbly in the oven to be on the safe side.

Yeah I would eat it but only after I reheated it to hot, hot throughout.

[Anonymous]

I would reheat til very hot--if you are planning to bake anyway it should be fine

[Anonymous]

Wow. I'm in the minority here, I guess, but I wouldn't risk it.

[Anonymous]

15:24, I'm with you. No.

[Anonymous]

I would eat it with the children...it should be fine re-heated

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty stringent about food safety. It sucks to take a loss like that, but I wouldn't eat it and I definitely wouldn't serve it to my kids. Sounds like a good excuse to order in!

[Anonymous]

I'd eat it and serve it to the kids as long as it still smells and tastes ok. Reheat it to 165 degrees and you should be fine. Food safety issues are not all created equal -- bad milk is not like bad pork. It may taste a little off, but it won't do anything to you unless it picked up an outside contaminant like staph while it was sitting out. It's pasteurized, so it shouldn't pose a risk. You don't have any of the danger foods in your dish. Bon Appetit!

[Anonymous]

16:44 here -- it would only pick up staph if your hands or the dishes or something were dirty... the mac n cheese should be as safe today as anything in your kitchen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd eat it, but not sure of the kids.

I definitely wouldn't eat the klids! Did OP ask if this was OK? Was the M&C not enough?