298659 Thu Sep 30 16:38:38 -0700 2004 7 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1652213 I made Coq au Vin last night, for tonight. I left it the oven for hours and then turned the oven off, leaving the meal in the oven to cool off. 7 Hours later, when I woke up, I put the bird in the frige. I know what the standards of food safety are, and I felt that while it is not the greatest idea, I thought it would be okay because the food was held at 250 for several hours. Plus the oven, the stone and the Le Creuset pot all hold heat fairly well. Would you eat it? Thu Sep 30 16:38:38 -0700 2004 0 Sarah 1 1652222 Yes. Thu Sep 30 16:56:21 -0700 2004 1652213 0 David Kahn 1 1652224 How soon can you get it out to me? (That would be a "yes"). Thu Sep 30 16:58:33 -0700 2004 1652213 0 HungryGrayCat 1 1652226 I'm not the biggest stickler, but that sounds risky to me. You say it was held at 250 degrees for several hours--what temp was it when you got up? Food pathogens bloom between 40F and 140F degrees. I understand that after 2 hours out of either of those zones many prepared foods will see bacterial growth. It is possible that you killed off any bacteria in the initial cooking and since it was undisturbed during its rest no new bacteria got a chance to grow. However, in a restaurant, a responsible chef would throw it out. If you do eat it, make sure you bring it up to at least 140 for 10 minutes to kill it off. I certainly wouldn't serve it to any children, ill, or elderly people. Thu Sep 30 17:05:25 -0700 2004 1652213 0 Devon 1 1652234 Lots of acid in coq au vin to keep out the bugs. plus if you re heat over 140 you will kill any new ones anyway.any responsible chef would not waste a good meal.chow down! Thu Sep 30 17:54:31 -0700 2004 1652213 0 TorreFarro 1 1652275 The critical factor is when do you think the dish cooled to 140 degrees. Our health dept inspector for our restaurant is not concerned with our dishes that are freshly cooked that are over 140. Here is the quote from the Calif code for restaurants..."All PHF shall be rapidly cooled from 140°F to 70°F within 2 hours and then from 70°F to 41°F within 4 hours" (PHF=potentially hazardous foods. Again these codes are written not only based on science, but keeping in mind liability issues when dealing with the public. That being said, in my restaurant, if this happened, I would instruct my staff to throw out the dish. The food cost of one dish does not outweigh the remote possibility of a customer getting sick, potential lawsuits, bad press, etc. However, if this happened to me at home for a non entertaining meal I would eat it and enjoy it with no problems! Fri Oct 01 01:55:25 -0700 2004 1652213 0 InTheBiz 1 1652295 Bring to boil for about TEN MINUTES. all is well in Coq au Vin land! Fri Oct 01 10:15:28 -0700 2004 1652213 0 Peter Larrie 1 1652333 if after the high heat cooking process, you never lifted the casserole lid (exposure to viable bacteria in the environment) or touched the food with your hands (Staphyloccocus), the food is probably safe. lifting the lid can introduce botulinum spores that are very heat resistant. this is why you never make your own herb-infused oil and keep it for months or give honey to a baby, the risk of getting botulism is definitely there. i worry about the touching/handling because if you introduced Staph. sp. to the food that bug can really thrive in warm, salty environments (think clothes wet from perspiration and boils) and the toxin they secrete that makes people sick doesn't get affected by heat, so if the toxin is present in sufficient amounts, no rational amount of boiling will neutralize it. Fri Oct 01 13:30:45 -0700 2004 1652213 0 the(jello)sound