Left cheese out overnight; unsafe?

[aynrandgirl]

I accidentally left some still factory-sealed cheese on the counter overnight rather than putting it in the refrigerator like I'm supposed to. Is it now unsafe to eat?

[whitemist]

Cheese is a product that is fine left out overnight (even cream cheese). Generally all cheeses (now I exclude cream cheese) processing is not a refrigerated one and the actual result is actually positive. And as some have said cheese has been around along time before refrigeration - it was actually the process to preserve milk products. While Health Departments tend to over react, it is mostly because they are over seeing restaurants handling and serving of larger quantities to a whole lot more people than you or I would. I prefer my cheeses unrefrigerated.

[smartie]

my mum used to put cheese in the larder (pantry) when we were kids, butter too and I am still alive and have 3 kids of my own! The French sell their cheeses in outdoor markets which seem to sit out all day in the heat. I still keep my butter out in a butter dish and I live in Florida.

[romansperson]

I come from a long line of 'cheese people'.

My great-great-grandfather emigrated to the U.S. to open a cheese factory.

My great-grandfather was a dairy farmer.

My grandfather was a cheese salesman.

Their aged cheese was never chilled/refrigerated. My grandfather would have heartily disapproved of refrigerating cheddar - it detracts from the taste and texture of the cheese.

And seeing as how they all lived long enough to at least reproduce, I'd say your cheese is perfectly safe. I'd sure eat it!

[ballulah]

I do that kind of thing all the time, and I always eat the cheese. It's safe, you'll be fine.

[cimui]

With semi-frequency, I take cheddar and mozzarella cheeses with me on five-day long camping trips without refrigeration, eat them on day 5, and have never gotten sick. Cheeses can 'sweat' a little if they get warm, but otherwise, the taste and texture don't suffer, either.

[johnb]

Cheese has been around, being stored, eaten, and providing nutrition, since before history was being recorded, say 10,000 years or so. Mechanical refrigeration has been around for, maybe 150 years. Draw your own conclusion.

[thew]

the french never refrigerate their cheese

[tarteaucitron]

Exactly, and neither do I (except for the "fresh" cheeses such as boccocini or marscapone).

However the FDA does not like to hear that.

[Ruth Lafler]

I agree -- the FDA makes so many stupid rules about cheese I think they would prefer that we not eat cheese at all. I leave my hard cheeses out for days or even weeks at a time (depending on how hard). It's fine.

[Midlife]

As some others have said..... hard cheeses will be just fine overnight. The standard health department code rule is 4 hours without refrigeration, but an aged hard cheese is not going to go bad overnight unless you're somewhere near the equator and it's 100+ degrees and humid at night.

[Richard 16]

Hard cheeses are aged. Cream cheese is allowed to come to room temperature before baking......

You should be fine.

[Sam Fujisaka]

It will be perfectly OK.

[foodhypnosis]

Depends - hard cheeses/aged chheses should be fine. Cream cheeses not so much.

[aynrandgirl]

Monterey Jack and Cheddar. Young, but not cream cheese.

[diablo]

I'm with roro. It should be fine, especially since it was still sealed. I would eat it. If you're really worried, just eat it sooner rather than later.

[roro1831]

I would eat it, but then again my stomach can take just about anything. I doubt that it has gone bad.