...to have ham for dinner tonight after forgetting to put it in the fridge last night?

[MurkyMo]

OK, I had one of those vacuum packed big ham fillets for dinner last night. I had simmered it in cider etc for hours and we only ate about a quarter of it. I wrapped it up in tinfoil and left it by the fridge to be put in there once it had cooled. However I completely forgot and it was out all night on the kitchen counter. It went in first thing this morning, 5.00.

So would it be unreasonable to have it again for dinner tonight or am I risking poisoning myself and himself??!

How hot is it where you are. It was 23 degrees in our house overnight last night so if it was similar where you are I wouldn't risk it.

It was 20 - 21 degrees. I know, I know, probably best not to eat it but I remember years ago Christmas hams being left out over night.

I would eat it if it was wrapped in foil from being hot. Assuming no one handled it with mucky hands before it was wrapped up! If it was uncontaminated when wrapped up there shouldn't be much bacteria to multiply and ham is salted to keep it safe. If in doubt turn it into something that can get well heated again. I did slices of left over ham in (spicy) flour, egg and breadcrumbs and baked in the oven (or could be fried) recently. Although might not be the weather for that today!

Wouldn't bother me 😋 🍴 🍖

I would eat it, but I probably wouldn’t serve it to my dad whose health is fragile. Make of that what you will 😆

I wouldn’t eat it. Don’t risk it.

I absolutely would not eat. It was so hot in our house last night. If yours was the same I’d not risk it.
It’s not the weather for spending it with you head down the toilet!

I know of someone who died from meat that had gone off. I wouldn't risk it.

Don’t do it

Definitely eat it! It's full of salt (a natural preservative). Christmas hams sat out for days at a time when I was a kid and no issues. Give it the sniff test and plough on. I promise you, it will be fine.

Yes, I'd eat ham/gammon in those circumstances. Not other meats though, after last night's temperatures.

No way, and im pretty cavalier about ignoring use by dates, not cooling cooked meat quickly etc but even i wouldnt risk meat left out all night in this heat. And certainly wouldnt give it to others unless I didnt like them very much 😂

I would not risk a bout of diarrhoea

Im sure it will be fine. Before everyone had fridges, people used to eat cooked food the next day and didnt die 😆

Christmas ham so in the middle of winter and quite possibly in a house with single glazing and no central heating so the house would be under 10°C through the night. Fine then, but not in the middle of a heatwave!

No. Annoying but not worth being ill over.

I definitely wouldn't eat it. The temperatures overnight would have created an opportunity for bacteria to multiply. I certainly wouldn't serve it to anyone else. Trust me, food poisoning from pork is nasty.

Central heating was widespread when most MNers were children! Open fires were also more common. I remember staying with relatives for Christmas and being absolutely fucking boiling all the time. If anything, our generation is more likely to crack a window every now and again.

Well I mentioned it to himself and he said, so what, I'll eat it! I'm not so sure though so his and hers dinner tonight I think! I'll definitely discard the outside slice though.

I'm pretty laissez-faire about these things but there's a world of difference between Christmas and a hot night! I wouldn't risk it.

I once risked some bacon I wasn't sure about - I couldn't even tell you what it tasted like as my body reacted immediately and involuntary spat it out in a millisecond, thank goodness. Even cured meats go off.

This always gets mentioned, but back then it was a mix of food was fresher and often bought/eaten on the day, less waste, people used various preserving methods, people had pantries which kept food cold, and tbh sheer luck.

People did die from food poisoning. They still do now so to say they didnt then is completely untrue.

I would check any flies hadn’t got into it and personally I wouldn’t risk it because we’re in a heatwave.

Wrapping meat while it is hot is a recipe for disaster. It is one of the first flags on any basic food hygiene course.

Agree. And pork was eaten in the Autumn and Winter mostly.

My DH would happily eat it but I wouldn’t. I think my chances of getting ill would be very low but I wouldn’t be able to enjoy eating it.