I totally brain-farted today and left the cream cheese out to "come to room temp" for about 5hrs.

I need to make cream cheese frosting. Should I toss it and go get a new batch?

It hasn't been overly warm here and the bricks were not squooshy but I'm feeling nervous since the cake is for a friend.

grrrrrr
Kristy

it should be fine

i always leave mine to come to room temp

I agree, it should be fine after just five hours. I've left mine out overnight to come to room temperature for a cheesecake I was making for my family. It was delicious and no one was sick. As long as it hasn't been exposed to air, it's vacuum sealed. Once it hits air, then it's exposed to bacteria.

something I learned while working at a market is to touch it to your cheek. if it's still cool feeling it's ok to use. this works for milk, cheese, yogurt, etc

I worked at a dairy farm for awhile and you would not believe how long things were actually left out on the dock by the pullers that were waiting for the drivers to load their trucks! Trust me if it doesn't taste /smell any different (sour) than you'll be fine. how long have you put you h&H or creamer out on the counter and forgot it and came home hours later did you put back in frig? So many things have perservitives in them and that's one of the reason... sorry to let you know the bad news of the dairy farm

I've left mine out for a whole day and had no issues. I vote to use it

I put the package of unopened cream cheese in a bowl of warm water.... 15min later it's room temp. Fastest way I have found to do it.

Thanks--it was never opened. Just in the car from the market/errands and on the counter. Maybe 45min in the car and 4+ hours on the counter. Weather in the 70s here in Cali. I didn't feel warm or squishy. I just feel so paranoid since I'm making this cake for a friend.

I probably have to go to the market for more powdered sugar so I might just get some new CC for this batch.

I can save what I have for something that will be cooked, like a cheese cake or kolachis.

Kristy

It's a four hour cumulative window. If the boys on the dock used it all then time's up. But we don't know the product's history--we get four hours to be aboveboard.

Say it takes 30 minutes at the store in the shopping cart and the ride home. 30 minutes to make the product ice and decorate then there's 3 hours left. Sure some cc icings are safe at room temp--I'm not saying they aren't I'm saying it's about staying as close to the safest and best as humanly possible not about how far can you go to push past the limits and not make someone sick.

I mean with a planetary action mixer I don't even set mine out at room temperature the mixer does all the work.

But as stewards of the public's trust and health I would not use the op's cream cheese to serve to someone else and I would never use it in an order that someone was paying for. I think it's a serious breech of trust. It is considered a potentially hazardous food substance.

No the product you make is probably not fermented or stinky or anything like that but it has been at the wrong temperature long enough for the bacteria to be headed in the wrong direction and gaining momentum. There's a reason cream cheese is considered a potentially hazardous food substance.

I'm glad you are replacing it. Good call!

edited for fixin' a typo