I left a tub of cream cheese out for maybe 2 hours in a mostly un-airconditioned room. Is it still okay?

Was the lid on or off? I think if the lid was on, I’d keep it. Lid off, pitch it.

nope, lid was on. I just didn’t put it in the fridge.

It’s probably fine. Food is less perishable than all the current alarmist thinking about bacteria would have us believe.

@Merriment: I only ask because it’s dairy… and there’s nothing worse than sour dairy, even if it’s just a tiny bit sour.

@poofandmook – I hear ya! ‘d ask too and if in doubt I’d throw it out. I just know from experience that we throw out a lot of food that is still fine. Things that I know you can still eat because of what I ate and survived.

Unless it started turning watery, I would think your cream cheese is still edible. Some people prefer room temp cream cheese.

not watery or even melty.

Should be fine.

I’d eat it. I leave cream cheese out over night to soften for recipes, and so does Paula Deen!

@ubersiren: Paula Deen practically mainlines butter. LOL

^^lol, seriously!^^

@poofandmook This is true. Her digestive tract cannot be harmed, for it is lined and lubed with butter.

Nope. I’ve left butter out, cheese out , and cream cheese. My whole family is still alive and kicking. I would only worry if it were yogurt or milk or eggs.

Eat it. It’s cheese.

Still solid? – Less than three hours – it’s safe. The three hour rule for dairy is in the hot sun of a picnic or such, not the room temperature of an air conditioned house.

3 hours for dairy? I leave my butter in a container out on my counter, or stashed in my microwave for weeks and eat it and it’s just fine. It’s never killed me or made me the slightest bit ill… my mother and grandmother have always kept their butter out also. When I buy raw milk I will leave it sit out overnight. I don’t have air conditioning, either. I would think a few hours for cream cheese would be absolutely harmless.

If it wasn’t in direct sunlight it should be fine.

I ate a bagel this morning. Let’s see how I feel in a couple of hours… lol. Tasted fine though.

I’d say it’s fine.

But I’ll wait for the results of your bagel before I ask for a sandwich with cream cheese. Can’t be too safe.

I was going to slip the cream cheese into your pastrami last night if you continued to be a freshie!

D:

Gives @poofandmook a neck massage to stay on her good side.