I forgot to turn my slowcooker on overnight w/ chicken in it, can I eat it still? [duplicate]

I put chicken breasts and a bunch of salsa into a slow cooker to be cooked while I slept. I forgot to turn it on. When I woke up I noticed and put it back in the fridge.

I plan to cook it tonight (and hopefully not forget to turn it on).

Is this a bad idea?

I will note that the salsa appeared to insulate the chicken because it was still cool to the touch (not COLD though) when I discovered it in the morning.

Total time out of fridge would be about 9 hours.

EDIT: This is not a duplicate of the suggested question because I had a thought that it might be ok due to the chicken being slightly insulated and still cool. I have realized it is still not safe from the answers.

food-safety chicken

Best Answer

Without knowing for sure that the temp didn't stray into the danger zone, I wouldn't eat it. Within 9 hours I think it is very likely that the chicken went from refrigerator temperature to danger temperature.

40 degrees F is the start of the danger zone. See:

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/danger-zone-40-f-140-f/ct_index

I doubt the human finger is calibrated finely enough to reliably measure this temp with high enough confidence to avoid the risk of food poisoninng.

Pictures about "I forgot to turn my slowcooker on overnight w/ chicken in it, can I eat it still? [duplicate]"

I forgot to turn my slowcooker on overnight w/ chicken in it, can I eat it still? [duplicate] - Top view of crop anonymous people sitting at table with yummy food and glasses while having lunch in street cafe in daytime

I forgot to turn my slowcooker on overnight w/ chicken in it, can I eat it still? [duplicate] - Woman eating fried chicken and fries at table with lemonade

I forgot to turn my slowcooker on overnight w/ chicken in it, can I eat it still? [duplicate] - Crop woman with organic banana in hands standing in kitchen

Can you eat food left in crockpot overnight?

The safe limit for raw or cooked food is 2 hours in the danger zone (40-140\xb0 F or 4.4-60\xb0 C).

How long can raw chicken sit in a crockpot?

The official guideline (in the US, at least) is no more than 2 hours, total, between 40\xb0F (4\xb0C) and 140\xb0F (60\xb0C).

Can you leave chicken in slow cooker overnight?

If you're only turning your oven on to roast a chicken for the week ahead. It's much more energy efficient to use the slow cooker instead. A slow cooker is designed to be safely left cooking whilst you're out at work, or even overnight. The chicken will never dry out.

How long can food be left in a slow cooker?

The general rule of thumb is that two to four hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm. After this, it needs to be transferred into the refrigerator.

I COOKED a Brisket for a MONTH and this happened!

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Zo Willibrord, Leonard Aldenhoff, Tim Samuel, SHVETS production