Cooked Corn Beef Hash Left Out
There is a lot of conflicting advice about whether or not it's safe to leave cooked ground beef out overnight.
The truth is that the situation can be dangerous if left out for extended periods of time.
To understand why, let's dig into the science behind how bacteria grows in ground beef and what you can do to make sure your food is safe to eat.
Will cooked ground beef go bad if left out overnight?
The short answer is yes, cooked ground beef can be left out at room temperature for 2-3 days without any danger.
However, if you want to keep your cooked ground beef for as long as possible, then it should be refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking and kept refrigerated until use.
The USDA recommends that all meat products should be stored in a refrigerator at 40 degrees F or below until ready to cook.
After cooking (or reheating), perishable foods should be cooled quickly so that they can be safely consumed within two hours.
If this is not possible due to lack of equipment or space, rapid cooling methods such as ice baths may be used before storing the food product in the refrigerator at 40 degrees F or below until ready-to-eat.
Can cooked ground beef be left overnight at room temperature?
Yes, it is safe to leave cooked ground beef out overnight at room temperature.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that "ground beef" may be left for up to two hours after cooking before refrigeration is necessary.
Since there is no way to know when exactly in this two-hour range your food was prepared, we recommend that you err on the side of caution and put it in the fridge as soon as possible.
This will ensure that all bacteria have been killed off by cooking, while also giving you peace of mind that your delicious dish won't cause any harm if left out over night!
What happens if you leave cooked ground beef out overnight?
To answer this question, we need to first understand the difference between raw and cooked ground beef.
Raw ground beef is uncooked and has not been cooked properly, either by being cooked in a pan or on a grill.
When you cook it at home, it can be kept out of the refrigerator for up to two hours before cooking (see this article).
However, once you have finished cooking your ground beef, that's when things change.
The USDA says that once food has been prepared—that is, once it has been heated above 40°F (4°C)—it should be refrigerated within two hours as long as there are no safety concerns associated with leaving it out longer than that time frame (more information here).
Can you eat cooked ground beef left out overnight?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), cooking ground beef thoroughly is essential for food safety.
Cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria that may be present in raw meat.
However, this is only true if you cook it completely.
If you leave cooked ground beef out at room temperature overnight and do not reheat it or refrigerate it immediately after cooking, any bacteria that survived your initial cooking can multiply to dangerous levels by morning time—and could make you sick if ingested.
Is it safe to eat cooked ground beef left out overnight?
The short answer is: YES!
But you should know why.
When you cook ground beef and then leave it out, the outside of the meat will start to brown and the inside will turn cold.
This can be a bit off-putting, but it doesn't mean your meat has gone bad.
The reason for this is that when you cook ground beef, you're causing it to lose moisture—so when you leave it out overnight, the outer part of the meat dries out and turns brown while the inside stays moist because there's still water in there.
In fact, according to USDA food safety guidelines, if your cooked ground beef looks a little dried out on the outside but still feels warm when you touch it, then it's safe to eat after being left out at room temperature for up to four hours.
And if you're going to store your cooked ground beef in the fridge or freezer after cooking?
It's okay if it still looks slightly dried-out—that's just normal dehydration from cooking!
What to do with cooked ground beef which was left at room temperature overnight?
Unfortunately, there's no way to save your meat, so it's time to throw it out.
If you have leftovers from a potluck or host dinner, make sure to refrigerate or freeze them immediately.
If you're unsure about the storage conditions where you are storing your food (or if someone has been handling it), stick with the safer option of freezing your food until you can get rid of it safely.
If you've done this kind of thing before and want to try again: don't!
Trust me on this one — I learned the hard way after leaving an entire chicken breast out overnight during a power outage when we lived in New York City (it was a long story).
Now I always check that all perishable foods are properly stored before we leave the house for any length of time.
Conclusion
If you have cooked ground beef that has been left out overnight, it's probably a good idea to throw it out.
The USDA recommends throwing it away after 2 hours, but if you want to be on the safe side then throw it away after 4 hours.
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Source: https://cookindocs.com/can-cooked-ground-beef-be-left-overnight-at-room-temperature/