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I made a big pot of sauteed onions and garlic (~9 onions and a head and a half of garlic), and forgot to put it away overnight. It was probably off the fire for around 8-10 hours... Is it safe to keep?

(Edit: Does it help that the onions and garlic will all be reheated, as they are going to be frozen in small portions and used to start off soups?)

clueless
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After being cooked, the onions are much more subject to spoilage than they were whole.

After 2 hours (4 hours at the outside) cumulative at room temperature (well, between 40-140 F/4-60 C), they should be considered tainted and discarded, per standard official advise for perishable foods.

See also: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/tags/food-safety/info

Community
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SAJ14SAJ
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    I thought we only had 60 °C for room temperature down here...seriously, though, I would eat it after 24 hours, and have—no problem. – Cerberus May 13 '13 at 11:40
  • @Cerberus That may be true, if you are lucky, and in good health. But I cannot give a recombination like that. – SAJ14SAJ May 13 '13 at 11:41
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The rule - When in doubt throw it out!

user36870
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The big thing with onions is not to smother them like with oil where they can't get oxygen, it is deadly. See Botulism.

user22377
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  • My question is can you can them like in soups? – user22377 Jan 06 '14 at 07:56
  • -1. There is no botulism danger in cooked onions left on the counter, no matter how much oil is on them. Other microorganisms will make them impossibly icky long before botulism bacteria have had a chance to thrive. The botulism risk exists when storing raw plant parts in oil for months. – rumtscho Jan 06 '14 at 11:28