Cooked chicken left in the oven

[GeezerMan]

Cooked some chicken at 400 degrees. I forgot about it until 3 AM. I first thought that I better throw it out, but I had second thoughts. The oven had not ben opened. Has to be sterile inside. Germs can just suddenly pop up. Of course, I'm counting on a somewhat air tight seal. Trouble is, no one else will eat it. What do you guys think? It's my favorite receipe...

 

[Azraele]

I wouldn't eat it.

 

[TecHNooB]

Pics of overcooked chicken?

 

[sixone]

It's not the germs in the oven that you have to worry about. It's the live bacteria on the chicken itself that survived the first cooking.

Chicken isn't that expensive. Throw this stuff out and buy some new to cook. It's not worth food poisoning.

 

[GeezerMan]

yeah, but 400 degrees for an hour kills everything...couldn't be any bacteria in the chicken

 

[Azraele]

You are assuming that your oven is a sterile vacuum sealed environment. It is not.

 

[PottedMeat]

I've left out rotisserie chicken for ~12+ hours at room temp and it was fine. You shouldnt be worried about bacteria, that chicken is probably a dried husk after starting at 400degF in the oven and letting it slowly cool down for 6 hours.

 

[sniperruff]

it's only 6 hours. it'll be fine.

now if you're talking overnight... i'd reheat it before i eat it.

 

[aCynic2]

Unless you have a strong immune system and a acid bath for a stomach, I'd throw it out.

 

[GeezerMan]

I'll let you know. I'm eating a piece right now. Tasty.....

Oh, I forgot to mention a friend of mine. He routinely eats doggie bag food left overnight in his car. Even fish. That shocked me. He said he just nukes it and eats it.

 

[piasabird]

Fully cooked ckicken can keep for a long time. Typically at a restraunt they keep it warmed to try to keep bactiria from growing. Warming it back up in the microwave might be a good way to go. If you think about it, Fried chicken can last a long time unrefrigerated. It might be that nuking it in the microwave kills everything known to man.

 

[brxndxn]

It's fine. Don't be a wussy. Give your immune system a workout.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Fine.

 

[sjwaste]

Originally posted by: GeezerMan
Cooked some chicken at 400 degrees. I forgot about it until 3 AM. I first thought that I better throw it out, but I had second thoughts. The oven had not ben opened. Has to be sterile inside. Germs can just suddenly pop up. Of course, I'm counting on a somewhat air tight seal. Trouble is, no one else will eat it. What do you guys think? It's my favorite receipe...

It's fine. Eat it. I've left stuff on the counter overnight countless times and still eaten them. It just wont last as long in the fridge as it normally would (ie, when you stick it in the fridge, you only have a day or two left to pick at it)

 

[Mark R]

It doesn't sound like it's going to be edible. I mean a chicken forgotten about at 400 degrees for several hours is going to be either totally desiccated or reduced to charcoal.

Of course, there won't be any bacteria - 400 degrees for several hours will kill everything - and a few hours is more than enough for the heat to soak all the way through the chicken to bring the whole thing up to sterilization temperature. Although the chicken would have been riddled with dangerous bacteria prior to cooking - you can be fairly confident that you have left no survivors.

6 hours after cooking, is unlikely to be enough time for dangerous bacteria to appear from the air and leave a toxic mess for you - particularly, if the oven has been cooling naturally during that time.

On the other hand, doggie bag food is slightly different. Once served, there is the potential for bacteria to land on it, and settle and breed. Some bacteria (particularly the opportunistic ones like Staphylococcus) produce toxins as they grow. Although, when you nuke them prior to eating, you sterilize the bacteria - you don't do anything about the toxins. This means that re-cooking food is not a satisfactory method of avoiding food poisoning - and appropriate storage following (and prior to) cooking is required.

 

[loup garou]

It's fine.

 

[GeezerMan]

Originally posted by: Mark R
It doesn't sound like it's going to be edible. I mean a chicken forgotten about at 400 degrees for several hours is going to be either totally desiccated or reduced to charcoal.

Of course, there won't be any bacteria - 400 degrees for several hours will kill everything - and a few hours is more than enough for the heat to soak all the way through the chicken to bring the whole thing up to sterilization temperature. Although the chicken would have been riddled with dangerous bacteria prior to cooking - you can be fairly confident that you have left no survivors.

6 hours after cooking, is unlikely to be enough time for dangerous bacteria to appear from the air and leave a toxic mess for you - particularly, if the oven has been cooling naturally during that time.

On the other hand, doggie bag food is slightly different. Once served, there is the potential for bacteria to land on it, and settle and breed. Some bacteria (particularly the opportunistic ones like Staphylococcus) produce toxins as they grow. Although, when you nuke them prior to eating, you sterilize the bacteria - you don't do anything about the toxins. This means that re-cooking food is not a satisfactory method of avoiding food poisoning - and appropriate storage following (and prior to) cooking is required.

It was on a timer, so it cooked for an hour, then turned off. Oven door was not opened. Just had my second piece......

 

[SVT Cobra]

It's fine. I leave stuff out overnight and I never get sick.

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: piasabird
Fully cooked ckicken can keep for a long time. Typically at a restraunt they keep it warmed to try to keep bactiria from growing.

i think they keep it warm so they dont have to make fresh food if hey can help it. bacteria thrives at moderately warm temperatures which is why its recommended that refrigerators be kept below *i think* 40F (maybe its 36?) and that certain meats be cooked to a minimum temp before serving. For instance, i believe chicken should have an internal temperature of 168F to be considered safe (it may be 170F) since thats just above where salmonella dies

thats off the top of my head, im too lazy to verify any of it right this moment because im eating breakfast

 

[brutal]

I'd hit it.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: loup garou
It's fine.

 

[Mark R]

Originally posted by: GeezerMan
It was on a timer, so it cooked for an hour, then turned off. Oven door was not opened. Just had my second piece......

Oh right. That's too bad.

Nice knowing you.

Can I have your computer?

 

[mercanucaribe]

Yeah you can eat it. My mom leaves food out of the fridge for a long time to let it cool down. I'm always saying "Why isn't this in the fridge??"

 

[jadinolf]

Originally posted by: GeezerMan
yeah, but 400 degrees for an hour kills everything...couldn't be any bacteria in the chicken

Right. You want his computer.

 

[Tiamat]

at least reheat it. I would eat it. Now, if it was raw and sitting outside for 6 hrs unfrozen, id probably throw it away.