Someone left our refrig door open this morning. It was open about five inches, from 8am - 9:30am. When I found it open, the top of the fridge was warm (I think partly from the lightbulb that stays on when the door is open) and the bottom and back were still cold-ish. Nothing was hot, but most of the food that I checked was almost room temperature.
I didn't think much of it, but now - at 2pm, I just took the butter out - it was on the door - and it's soft. Not runny soft, but easy to cut into and it's usually rock solid. I checked the other food and it's all mostly cold again. Do I need to throw stuff out? The warmest stuff was brand new yogurt at the top, and some leftovers - ham, mashed potatoes, hummus. I don't want to throw stuff out, but I don't want anyone to get sick either.
What would you do?
Perspective: It takes some people an hour and a half to get home from the grocery store and put it all away.
I think it will all be fine.
And the butter doesn't even need to be refrigerated. It will be fine too.
It's not like it was all day.
I am sure it will be fine.
Heck I remember my grandmother.. would make fried chicken on Saturday mornings and leave it on a platter on her kitchen table all day long. If you dropped by she would serve it to you whenever you were there. She did not want to be cooking when people came over all day.
Easter eggs were hard boiled eggs made on Friday night or Saturday morning.. dyed and then hidden Sunday morning.. We did not place them in the fridge till Sunday night, if there were any left.. .
And Butter? It stayed out all day long.. she had it in a little dish with a lid on it.. and had it on the kitchen table for use at any moment. She did not like "cold butter".
The funny thing is we were encouraged.. not to open the fridge to take these things out.. Cause, "you let the cold air out. "..
None of us ever got sick..
Our daughter is horrified when we tell her these stories.. but they are all true.
I can't think of many foods that would spoil within 1.5 hrs if left out (even milk can sit out at room temp for 2 hrs and be ok). When you eat at a restaurant for 1-2 hrs and then take leftovers home, you stick them in the fridge and eat the food the next day. And it had to be cooler than room temp in your fridge for that 1.5 hrs, so I dont' think any of that food would go bad.
It's fine. I would even eat the yogurt. I left yogurt in the car on accident so it was at room temp for several hours one day and it was still fine. No one got sick. It just might go bad sooner than normal, so try to eat it soon.
Must have been left open for longer then that if the butter is soft...if you can't afford people getting sick, then the best option is to good foods that are safe after getting warm and then throwing the rest.
I would throw out the yogurt and I would smell/taste the mayo if you had any in there. Other than that, I think it should be fine.
