I forgot a container of sealed cream cheese on the counter 3 hrs

[Scouzer]

Edible? yay/nay

 

[zerocool84]

Always test before you post.

 

[ahenkel]

I bought some cream cheese last week, did the same thing only longer. I threw it in the fridge just to firm it up and had a pile of triscuits with it. I'm still alive

 

[guyver01]

Depends on the quality of the initial product


Temp-tee Cream Cheese... can probably live for an hour outside of a refrigerated environment (gotta get it from the supermarket to the house somehow).. this stuff is AWESOME! of course it's gonna be delicate..

Store Brand Cream Cheese... you could plaster wallpaper with that stuff.. pull it down in a few decades and still have the same plaster tasting crap you bought initially. This stuff will outlast cockroaches

 

[SonnyDaze]

I would think so. My wife leaves it out at room temperature to soften before making cheesecake.

 

[surfsatwerk]

It's fine.

 

[rudder]

edible... but it will have big chunks of ice in it now.

 

[Daverino]

It's fine. I'd be worried about overnight, but it probably didn't even warm up to room temperature in three hours on the counter.

 

[KB]

The product is sealed so it should be safe unless the product was contaminated at the factory, which is unlikely.

 

[speg]

3 hours? Are you a baby? EAT IT!

 

[TallBill]

You're good.

 

[kalrith]

The technical rule is 4 hours between 40 and 140 degrees, and the food is bad. As long as it was refrigerated before hand (i.e. not purchased at a store and sitting out for an extra hour for its 3 hour countertop experience), then you're fine even by the most stringent rules.

 

[spidey07]

It's fine. Sniff test. Will you not eat dip at a party that's been sitting out all night?

 

[brtspears2]

Fine. I've seen people in my office raid a bagel tray from a morning meeting at 5pm, with room temp cream cheese spread.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

It's sealed. You're fine.

 

[FoBoT]

it is fine, some recipes need "softened" cream cheese and my wife will leave a block out for a few hours for it to soften up, think about it, it is already cheese, do you know what cheese is?

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
it is fine, some recipes need "softened" cream cheese and my wife will leave a block out for a few hours for it to soften up, think about it, it is already cheese, do you know what cheese is?

I agree with it being fine after 3 hours in a sealed container, but your logic in the bolded part really doesn't hold up too well for cream cheese. Hard cheeses can be aged, but cream cheese is a different animal.

 

[Titan]

My family eats pretzels by dipping them in cream cheese, like leaving the whole container out for a day. You'll be fine.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: FoBoT
it is fine, some recipes need "softened" cream cheese and my wife will leave a block out for a few hours for it to soften up, think about it, it is already cheese, do you know what cheese is?

I agree with it being fine after 3 hours in a sealed container, but your logic in the bolded part really doesn't hold up too well for cream cheese. Hard cheeses can be aged, but cream cheese is a different animal.

It's still a cheese. You can leave it out all day, open, and it's still good to eat and still tasty. Will probably still be good the next day as well. It's a soft cheese.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: Titan
My family eats pretzels by dipping them in cream cheese, like leaving the whole container out for a day. You'll be fine.

I do that, too, but with less leaving of the cream cheese out.
I also like to melt cheddar for pretzel dip.

Honey mustard is my favorite for soft pretzels. Mmm, hungry just thinking about it.

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: spidey07
It's fine. Sniff test. Will you not eat dip at a party that's been sitting out all night?

Once it's been out for 2 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, it's time to throw it out.

 

[Kadarin]

Eat it. What could possibly go wrong?