How long can cream cheese sit out? According to safety guidelines by the USDA, cream cheese can sit out for only two hours before being dangerous to eat due to the extremely high activity bacteria have at temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F.
But this answer is just a brief one, and we’re going to have to dive into this topic a bit more if we indeed want to understand it. So let’s not waste any more time and just get started, shall we?
Table of Contents
- Does cream cheese need to be refrigerated?
- How long can cream cheese sit out at room temperature?
- Can cream cheese be left out overnight?
- How long can cream cheese frosting sit out?
- How long can cream cheese sit out to soften?
- How can you tell if the cream cheese is bad?
- How do you keep cream cheese fresh?
- What happens if you eat spoiled cream cheese?
- Summary
- Resources
Does cream cheese need to be refrigerated?
Since the United States Department of Agriculture says it is dangerous to eat just after a few hours of sitting out, cream cheese always needs to be refrigerated. That way, it will stay suitable for a few months when unopened and still at least a week if it was once opened already.
How long can cream cheese sit out at room temperature?
According to the USDA, cream cheese can sit out at room temperature for no more than two hours. The reason for that is bacteria grow rapidly at temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, resulting in perishable food like cream cheese being dangerous to eat even just after a short while.
Unopened cream cheese left out
As the USDA says, unopened cream cheese can be left out for no more than two hours to be completely safe to eat. That’s because of the high activity bacteria have at 40 °F – 140 °F, due to which you should always put your cream cheese into the fridge even when it is still unopened.
Opened cream cheese left out
As we’ve explained above, even a yet unopened pack of cream cheese should be put into the fridge, and this goes double for an opened one. Opened cream cheese left out is safe to eat only for two hours because bacteria grow very fast at room temperature.
Can cream cheese be left out overnight?
We’ve explained above that cream cheese should never sit out for more than two hours, so no, cream cheese can’t be left out overnight. Due to the high activity of bacteria at 40 °F – 140 °F, eating cream cheese left out overnight is undoubtedly a significant health hazard.
Philadelphia cream cheese left out overnight – is it ok?
No, Philadelphia cream cheese left out overnight is not okay because cream cheese (like, by the way, pretty much every other perishable food) is, in fact, dangerous to eat just after more than two hours of sitting out.
Unopened cream cheese left out overnight – is it ok?
As the USDA says, no perishable food should be eaten after more than two hours of sitting out. Therefore, unopened cream cheese left out overnight isn’t okay since it has probably already spoiled, and eating it may be dangerous.
How long can cream cheese frosting sit out?
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, cream cheese frosting can sit out for only two hours before being dangerous to eat. The reason for that is bacteria grow exceptionally quickly at room temperature.
How long can cream cheese sit out to soften?
Since the safety guidelines by the USDA say no perishable food should ever be left out for more than two hours to be safe to eat, cream cheese can sit out to soften just for two hours. Letting it sit out to soften for a longer time is dangerous since bacteria grow extremely fast at room temperature.
How can you tell if the cream cheese is bad?
Just like with nearly every other food, telling whether your cream cheese is still good or has already turned bad is a straightforward task. To tell if the cream cheese is bad, look for changes in its structure and any signs of mold.
If the cream cheese is not dry and there are not any weird colors on its surface, it is safe to eat; otherwise, you should always throw it out as soon as possible, though.
How do you keep cream cheese fresh?
The foremost important thing while storing your cream cheese is putting it into the fridge so that it won’t spoil quickly. And actually, there’s not much you can do besides that. So that means you, in order to keep your cream cheese fresh, have to make sure that it is in the fridge.
What happens if you eat spoiled cream cheese?
As we hope you already know, eating spoiled food is very likely to make you sick. So if you eat spoiled cream cheese, it is more than probable you’re going to have a stomach ache, diarrhea, or vomiting.
Summary
Just like any other perishable food, cream cheese should never sit out for any more than two hours before being dangerous to eat. As the USDA says, bacteria overgrow at 40 °F – 140 °F, making things like cream cheese spoil very fast. Because of that, you should always put your cream cheese into the fridge if you know you’re going to hold onto it for some time.
Related:
- How Long Can Mozzarella Cheese Sit Out?
- How Long Can American Cheese Sit Out?
- How Long Can Goat Cheese Sit Out?
- How Long Can Feta Cheese Sit Out?
- How Long Can String Cheese Sit Out?
Resources
Image credits – Canva
