# Stock left out.. is it going to be okay? :(



## mikez (Jun 13, 2010)

Oh no! So I went to this awesome 9th ave international food festival \ street fair over the weekend and got a whole carcass from a hog they roasted along with pounds of pulled pork meat.. I wanted to make some pork stock with it, reduce it down and use it party to season the pulled pork and the rest for maybe a risotto or something.. Anyway simmered and skimmed the bad boy did all the great stuff... then I totally forgot to put it in the chill chest overnight so the stock was in the danger zone for well more than 4 hours. Now I know I can boil it back up and make it safe to eat, which is what I want to do I would hate to throw out the stock and all my hard work, but I am a little afraid both for health reasons and because of the flavor what might happen if I keep it, even after bringing it upto a boil and stuff. Is it still possible to save this wonderful stock?


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

MikeZ said:


> Now I know I can boil it back up and make it safe to eat


Some bacterias will not be killed no matter how long you boil your stock.

Bacterias are everywhere and in large number. Safety is all about statistics. It's not like something in the danger zone for 3:59 is safe to eat while something in the danger zone for 4:01 is not safe. The longer something is in the danger zone, the more bacterias will have time to multiply, and the more chances you get of getting sick.

Will you get sick if you eat the stock? No one knows for sure. Do you run more chances of getting sick than if the stock had been in the danger zone for only 3 hours? You betcha.

Bacterias multiply faster when the temperature is right for them (danger zone), when air is present, and when moisture is present. That makes stock, which is full of water, a good place for bacterias to grow and multiply, especially if a large surface of your stock was in contact with air.


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## mikez (Jun 13, 2010)

Wow I had no idea that some bacteria can't be killed by boiling, thank you for teaching me something new  Is there a safe temp you can say kills most bacteria like 165 for example.. I had just transferred the stock to a wider shorter pot that would fit in the fridge before I forgot about it and went to bed so there was defiantly quite a bit of surface area.. and we were talking <140 for like 8 hours.. Now I am also a little concerned generally I will let it simmer overnight and then strain skim some more.. is that a bad idea since bacteria is still growing albeit slowly?


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

If it is pork or chicken stock I and it went all night I would say no way. Better to be safe than sorry.

Don't feel to bad man that happened to me recently. Went to the trouble of making homemade chicken soup and left it out by accident all night.


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## mikez (Jun 13, 2010)

okay I hate to waste so much good (well i guess its now bad) but better safe then sorry for sure. This also sounds like I might need to brush up on my food saftey a bit. I really thought heat will kill the bad stuff, and was more concerned with the flavor... Thank you


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

If boiling was magically making anything safe, the danger zone wouldn't be such a big deal, you wouldn't need to refrigerate your stock, you'd just need to boil it before using!

Some bacteria resist to heat and cold. If you leave an item in the danger zone for 1 hour before putting it in the fridge, your bacteria will multiply for one hour, then the multiplication will slow down while it's in the fridge (or freezer). Then when you take it out of the fridge or freezer for 1 hour 1/2, the mulitplication resumes. Then you boil it, the multiplication slows down. Then you let it rest for 2 hours, the multiplication resumes.... it's now been in the danger zone for 4 hours and 1/2.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

IF IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT.  Its not worth the potential risk.


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

Boiling may "kill" the bacteria, but it does nothing to destroy any toxins the bacteria may have produced while multiplying.


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## mikez (Jun 13, 2010)

I guess it doesn't matter that the stock was already reduced to a semi-demi-glace state... I was just reading about toxins from bacteria as well... okay you guys convinced me... my 18 quart stock pot filled reduced down to 7 quarts all going to waste ... But hey, I will stay alive. I guess part of my confusion was when I think about cooking meat, or chicken really when it hits 165 things like E coli and salmonella are destroyed, but as Pete reminds me here, that does not remove any of the toxins they have produced.. I guess this also means that there is no temp that is safe. I can get something upto 350 degrees but there is a chance there may be some residual toxins or something in there.. and its just like Mr. Fry says "Will you get sick if you eat the stock? No one knows for sure. Do you run more chances of getting sick than if the stock had been in the danger zone for only 3 hours? You betcha."


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## mikez (Jun 13, 2010)

Thought this was an interesting read too.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/poison.html


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## mknowles (Feb 16, 2014)

what is the answer to stock left out....


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## mknowles (Feb 16, 2014)

for gods sake what is the answer


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## mknowles (Feb 16, 2014)

how do I get an answer


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

The answer depends on how long the stock was left out and under what conditions. There is NO pat answer!

Time and temperature can "pasteurize" and kill bacteria. However, IF the bacteria have produced toxins, time and temperature, as a general rule cannot destroy the toxins.

The "safe" choice? When in doubt, throw it out! Any other choice is a gamble.


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

1 hour, 51 minutes ago : what is the answer to stock left out....

1 hour, 50 minutes ago :  for gods sake what is the answer

1 hour, 48 minutes ago :  how do I get an answer

first you get a grip on what you're doing.  this is not the 24x7 Butterball Turkey Helpline


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## kaiquekuisine (Apr 11, 2013)

Dillbert said:


> 1 hour, 51 minutes ago : what is the answer to stock left out....
> 
> 1 hour, 50 minutes ago : for gods sake what is the answer
> 
> ...


/img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif Dillbert OMG, laughing a bit lol.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

... and all that ruckus over a thread that hasn't been posted to since May 2011.  I sure hope the OP is okay!


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

well, give credit where it is due - our impatient friend did apparently 'search'

over the years I've seen way lotsa' people think places like this are a "chat room" where everyone is hanging around on-line in real time ready to answer anything immediately, if not sooner.

they must be Mac users; Windows types are used to things not working as expected.....


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## wlong (Aug 2, 2011)

He is a new member, just joined today and those are his first 3 posts.  Like Dillbert said he probably thought he was in a chat room and no one would respond.


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

BrianShaw said:


> ... and all that ruckus over a thread that hasn't been posted to since May 2011. I sure hope the OP is okay!


Yea hopefully he didn't eat that stock and keel lol.

Haha butterball hotline LMAO!


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## zagut (Dec 30, 2013)

Dillbert said:


> first you get a grip on what you're doing. this is not the 24x7 Butterball Turkey Helpline


Get a grip????

That's asking a lot from anybody. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

So this isn't the Butterball Hotline????

No wonder I've been on hold since November. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/blushing.gif


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

>>No wonder I've been on hold since November.

wow!  never knew anyone who could hold onto a butterball _that_ long!


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## zagut (Dec 30, 2013)

It's slippery but I haven't lost my grip yet. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

I must admit the aroma isn't as pleasant as it used to be. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Here is your answer. When in doubt throw it out. Don't take chances get rid of the stock.


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

seems appropriate

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...&mid=61FAD6113039119882D861FAD6113039119882D8


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

This thread has just gotten stupid I am locking it up.


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