Printable View
I searched all over the internet and couldn't find out exactly how long whole milk can stay at room temp before it spoils. So I put some out and smelled and tasted it every hour. Ten hours later, there was still not sour scent or taste. Normal? DH says that bacteria will continue to grow but we won't be able to taste it until a certain amount of bacteria has accumulated. True? Thanks for reading.
Yes, what your DH said is true. It's very possible for there to be enough bacteria already present to cause food poisoning but you not be able to taste it until much later.
Marielle
Ian - born 10/03
&
Ryan - born 01/06
Once the milk starts to warm up, bacteria will start to grow. The warmer it stays, and the longer, the faster this will happen.
Milk won't taste off until it's gone bad. In the olden days, it would sour, which pasteurized milk doesn't do (it just goes bad, which is not the same thing).
I think the question you're trying to ask is how long can you leave your DC's cup/bottle of milk out without worrying that it's spoiled, though, yes? I grew up on a dairy farm, where we drank raw milk instead of pasteurized, and we always put the milk back in the fridge after we were done using it, but during coffeetime or breakfast, the milk was on the table for an hour or so, 2x per day. It was very rare for the milk to spoil before it was finished. Since DS doesn't get unpasteurized milk, I am less careful with his sippies, and usually load one up in the morning and leave it out for him, refilling as needed, throughout the day, putting it in the fridge at naptime. At night, depending on how long the last refill had been sitting out, I either dump it or stick it in the fridge for the next day.
I don't think you need to worry if you're leaving it out for several hours a day - it's when the sippy goes missing and the child finds it after a week that you should worry about the bacteria.
ETC: some really bad grammar mistakes - bad me!
I've re-heated milk after a couple of hours out at room temperature (I thouroughly dislike milk and would always procrastinate drinking it when pregnant) and had it go bad on reheating, so I'm assuming after a couple hours or so it may already have enough bacteria to make it go bad.
Re-heating? Is that really what you meant to say?
Unless it's hot and in something like hot chocolate or has honey added, I've always thought that milk tasted better cold.
If you don't like milk at all, other dairy sources are just as good. Some are even better -- like yogurt with live cultures!
Yes, after trying cold, luke warm, warm, hot, chocolate milk, strawberry milk, ovaltine, malt flavoring (the best of the lot), I decided milk and I just don't mix well and I switched to eating yogurt and cheese with each meal and in between. Fortunately I love both, so it worked out :)
Of course I can't find it now, but I remember reading milk can be left out safely for up to 4 hours.
If I find the article, I will come back and edit. :)
Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04
You are a brave, brave woman.
Are you doing this for your baby's sake? (ie testing to see how long you can leave a bottle out.)
Over here, I offer DD milk before we go out. If we are gone for a while, I bring water in a sippy cup. I don't think she needs milk all day. When we get home, I offer her cold milk again. I wouldn't want to milk to warm up while we're out. If you must bring it, I'd get an ice pack of some sort.
Also, Horizon sells little juice-box-like 2% milk that don't need to be refrigerated. I've seen them in supermarkets and starbucks.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets...ency/index.asp
2 hours is the max you should leave most foods out at room temperature. Food poisoning can be VERY dangerous. Be careful!
Thanks for the link. I've been searching all over the internet for this kind of info. I'm just glad I didn't get sick from tasting the milk every hour throughout the day.
Nutrition was one of my college majors, and in my food science classes it was stressed that some of the pathogens (listeria, etc.) do NOT have an odor, color, or taste. These are the most dangerous pathogens, as well.
When milk turns "sour" the sourness will only make your stomach feel ill, but it is not nearly as dangerous as the things you cannot taste! The sourness and the other pathogens are two *different* things (though they can occur in tandem, too).
Please be very careful!
Barbie
I'm glad too- and surprised!