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I bought a salami pizza and a Hawaii pizza (ham & pineapple) the night before yesterday, but forgot to put them in the freezer.

This is the latter, soggy part removed: enter image description here

Normally they should cook for 16 minutes, but they are completely thawed. Will cooking them at 190 degrees Celsius for 11 minutes make them safe to eat?

Opinions are divided, with 66% in favor of cooking, but i'd like some expert advice.

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Cees Timmerman
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    Any perishable food (in this case I would be concerned about the ham more than anything) left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be considered unsafe, even after cooking. Considering we're talking about a frozen pizza and not a full beef fillet, why take the risk? If it's been in the fridge, however, you may be ok. – ElendilTheTall May 24 '14 at 17:22
  • I'd accept that as an answer. [The govt agrees.](http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/frozen_food.html) – Cees Timmerman May 24 '14 at 17:30
  • [Some bacteria leave behind harmful protein toxins that cannot be "killed" (denatured) by cooking.](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/34670/how-do-i-know-if-food-left-at-room-temperature-is-still-safe-to-eat) but how likely is it that those were present? – Cees Timmerman May 24 '14 at 17:57
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    That's the gamble isn't it? You have to weigh up your desire to eat that pizza with your aversion to food poisoning... – ElendilTheTall May 24 '14 at 18:26
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    You may also wish to make that decision now, rather than waiting until late at night after a few beers. Remember: don't drink and make questionable decisions about food safety. I think I saw that in a pamphlet somewhere. – logophobe May 24 '14 at 19:10
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    lol @logophobe was this pamphlet entitled, "Personal Experience" by any chance? – Preston May 25 '14 at 05:44

2 Answers2

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Any perishable food (in this case I would be concerned about the ham more than anything) left at room temperature for more than 2 hours should be considered unsafe, even after cooking. Considering we're talking about a frozen pizza and not a full beef fillet, why take the risk? If it's been in the fridge, however, you may be ok.

ElendilTheTall
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I would never eat a pizza that has been "room Temperature" for 24-hours. Bacteria grows on food in the danger zone, which is 40-degrees to 140-degrees. Once food has hit 70-degrees (room temp.) to 120-degrees, it is considered to be in the "double danger" zone. This means that bacteria grows twice as fast as it would at cooler or warmer temps. Most foods have to be heated to 165-degrees for 15 seconds and this kills all the harmful bacteria that makes us sick. After heating to 165-degrees for 15-seconds, it can be held at 140-degrees safely.

Divi
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Missy Philpot
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    There is dangerously ambigous diction in your answer. To be clear, cooking spoiled food to 165°F will not reliably make it safe again, while cooking anything to (not at!) a temperature of 165°C will leave very few food groups edible (and ironically, most 165°C proof ingredients, water excluded, are themselves preservatives). – rackandboneman Aug 24 '17 at 10:33