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I accidentally left a vacuum sealed ham steak out on the counter for 9 hours. If I reheat it is it still safe to eat?

user41628
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  • Please see our generic Q/A for this: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/34670/how-do-i-know-if-food-left-at-room-temperature-is-still-safe-to-eat In short: No. – Stephie Dec 15 '15 at 06:28

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If the seal isn't broken I'll eat it without hesitation...

Don't forget the purpose of making ham is to preserve the otherwise perishable pork... so that the meat can be maintained and eaten over a much longer period...

The ham houses may have temperature & moisture controlled rooms to enhance flavour (and it's NOT fridge temperature)... but the butcher shops hang the hams in display... for much longer than 9 hours...

If ham cannot withstand being kept in room temperature, it's not ham... The kind you described contains a bit more moisture, but the salt level is just as high... way high... high enough for retarding bacteria even if it was out of the package for 9 hours...

If it was on my counter overnight, I'd definitely pan fry it with some mushroom for lunch, and eat it with cranberry sauce !!

osp
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