🛡️ Food Safety FAQ
Expert answers about Food Safety
Is It Safe to Cook Stuffing Inside a Turkey?
It’s possible to safely cook stuffing inside a turkey, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture — but you’ll need to take some special precautions. If your stuffing recipe calls for any type of raw mea...
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Is Pink Turkey Meat Safe to Eat?
Not necessarily. Cooked turkey that’s still pink can be safe to eat, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture — but only if the turkey’s internal temperature has reached 165° F throughout. As the USDA ...
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How Long Can Cooked Turkey Sit Out Before It Becomes Unsafe To Eat?
You can safely leave cooked turkey out at room temperature for two hours -- or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit -- says the United States Department of Agriculture. Cooked tu...
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How Long Can Cooked Hamburgers Be Left Out at Room Temperature?
You can safely leave cooked hamburgers out at room temperature for two hours -- or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit -- says the United States Department of Agriculture. Cooke...
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Do You Have to Wash Bagged Salad That's Been Prewashed?
No — as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration points out, you do not have to re-wash salads that are labeled as prewashed and ready-to-eat. In fact, by re-washing a prewashed bagged salad, you might a...
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How Long Can Cooked Steak Be Left Out at Room Temperature?
You can safely leave cooked steak out at room temperature for two hours -- or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit -- says the United States Department of Agriculture. Cooked ste...
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How Long Can Cooked Hot Dogs Be Left Out at Room Temperature?
You can safely leave cooked hot dogs out at room temperature for two hours -- or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit -- says the United States Department of Agriculture. Cooked ...
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Is it OK to Thaw Steak on the Counter?
Wrapped or not, that’s an unsafe move. The U.S. Department of Agriculture warns that it’s dangerous to eat any meat that has been thawed at room temperature. The problem is that even though the center...
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Does Vinegar Ever Go Bad?
Your vinegar should be fine, provided you’ve been storing it properly. From a safety standpoint, commercially produced vinegar has a virtually indefinite shelf life, says the Vinegar Institute, an ass...
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Do Spices Ever Go Bad?
From a safety perspective they should be fine, but when it comes to flavoring your food, you may not be very happy with the results. As seasoning makers like McCormick point out, spices do not actuall...
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How Long Can Hard-Boiled Eggs Be Left Out Of The Fridge?
Unfortunately your eggs are not safe. You can safely leave hard-boiled eggs out at room temperature for two hours — or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit — says the United Stat...
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Does Pure Honey Go Bad?
No — your honey should be fine, provided you’ve been storing it properly. From a safety standpoint, commercially produced pure honey has a practically indefinite shelf life, says the National Honey Bo...
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Does Pecan Pie Have to be Refrigerated?
You should refrigerate the pecan pie, unless you’re planning to serve it within two hours of baking. As both the United States Department of Agriculture and the American Egg Board note, it’s unsafe to...
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Is it OK to Refreeze Fish That Has Already Thawed?
It’s fine to refreeze the fish fillets — as long as you thawed them in the refrigerator and held them there for no more than two days. If that was the case, you can pop the fillets back into the freez...
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How Long Can Raw Ground Beef Be Left Out?
The burgers were probably fine. You can safely leave raw ground beef out at room temperature for two hours — or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit — says the United States Depa...
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I Left Pizza Out Overnight - Is It Still Safe to Eat?
Sorry, but you're out of luck. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, it’s dangerous to eat any cooked food (including takeout foods like pizza, fried chicken or Chinese food) that ...
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Should You Rinse Raw Chicken Before Cooking It?
No — in fact, it's not a good idea at all. The United States Department of Agriculture advises against the practice of rinsing poultry or meat before cooking it. The problem is that when you rinse raw...
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Can You Safely Eat Cooked Chicken That's Still Pink?
Yes, cooked chicken that’s still pink can be safe to eat, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture — but only if the chicken’s internal temperature has reached 165° F throughout. As the USDA points out...
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Is it Safe to Refreeze Thawed Steak?
It depends on how you thawed the steak. When Is It Safe to Refreeze Steak? It’s fine to refreeze steaks — as long as you thawed them in the refrigerator and kept them there for no more than three to f...
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I Forgot to Refrigerate Food - Will Reheating Make it Safe?
No, unfortunately that’s not always the case. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reheating your lasagna might indeed kill the bacteria that were likely produced when it sat out overni...
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What is a Safe Refrigerator Temperature?
It’s important to keep the temperature of your refrigerator at or below 40° F. Any warmer than that, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the types of bacteria that can cause both food spoi...
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How Long Can Yogurt Sit Out Before It Becomes Unsafe To Eat?
You can safely leave yogurt out at room temperature for two hours — or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit — says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Yogurt that has been lef...
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Is it Safe to Eat a Burger That's Still Pink Inside?
Yes, a cooked burger that’s pink on the inside can be safe to eat — but only if the meat’s internal temperature has reached 160°F throughout. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture points out, it’s not...
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Can You Safely Reuse Marinade?
It’s okay to reuse the marinade as a sauce, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture — but only if you bring it to a full rolling boil first and only if the marinade has been kept constantly refrigerat...
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Is Raw Ground Beef OK If It's Turning Brown?
Your ground beef is probably fine. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture points out, it’s common for the inside portion of packaged ground beef to become more brown or gray in color, even while the ou...
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