Can half cooked pork chops be cooled then fully cooked later?
I started baking pork chops at about 2pm. 30 mins into cooking I had to leave. I turned off oven and left. It's now 640pm and I'm just getting home. The pan is still slightly warm. Are the pork chops still good to continue cooking?
Best Answer
Even though you turned the oven off when you left, there was still likely enough residual heat to continue cooking the chops. Rather than a half-cooked chop that sat out for 4 hours, you've got mostly or fully-cooked chops that sat in a warm environment for 2-3 hours. Whether they hit the recommended internal temperature (which is now actually 145F with a 3-minute rest for fresh pork, rather than the 165F quoted in other answers, at least according to the USDA) is anyone's guess.
From a culinary standpoint, since they've been pretty well cooked, baking them back up to that temperature (or more likely to 165F, which is the recommended temp for leftovers) will probably dry them into leathery little pucks. If you're going to risk re-cooking and eating these, I'd recommend a higher-moisture cooking method like braising; chops stand up pretty well to this treatment.
As mentioned in comments, these have been sitting at near-room temperature for longer than is generally considered safe. And without knowing what temperature the interior of the chops reached, it's unknown how safe they would have been even if you returned before they cooled into the dreaded "danger zone". There are a lot of questions here from a safety standpoint. I'll quote another answer here, as I think this says it best:
The safe limit for raw or cooked food is 2 hours in the danger zone (40-140° F or 4.4-60° C).
If you're a restaurant owner or cook, you must follow this rule [...] If you are not working in a professional capacity then you are not legally required to follow it, but if you are serving guests then it would be irresponsible (and possibly actionable, if someone gets sick) to do otherwise.
If you're an individual serving only yourself, then take whatever liberties and break whatever rules you want; it's your food, and your body.
I personally would probably write these off as a loss, but I tend to be fairly risk-averse.
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Can you half cook pork then finish later?
Never brown or partially cook pork, then refrigerate and finish cooking later, because any bacteria present wouldn't have been destroyed. It is safe to partially pre-cook or microwave pork before immediately transferring it to the hot grill to finish cooking.Can you partially cook meat then finish later?
Information. Never brown or partially cook meat or poultry to refrigerate and finish later because any bacteria present would not have been destroyed. It is safe to partially cook meat and poultry in the microwave or on the stove only if the food is transferred immediately to the hot grill to finish cooking.How do you Recook undercooked pork?
The more undercooked it is, and the sooner you want to eat it, the thinner you'll want to slice it. Place the meat in an oiled roasting pan or Dutch oven; drizzle it with some stock, sauce, or water; cover it with aluminum foil; and bake the whole thing in a 400\xb0 F oven until cooked.Can you put pork back in the oven after it has cooled?
You can, however, fully cook it and reheat it. This is a tiny bit tricky with a pork loin, since the optimal temperature for a pork loin is actually somewhat below the temperature that's really safe. You'd want to cook it to at least 140F, a bit more than is really optimal.The Biggest Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Pork
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Answer 2
it's iffy. that pork was sitting in the danger zone(40-140f) for 4 hours, and that's enough time for a LOT of bacteria to grow on it. Still, if you want to chance it, cook the chop to 165F for the best chance of killing any bacteria or microorganisms.
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