ed6713 wrote:
40* is the max. safe temperature for food in the ref.
I would be careful eating things that got as warm as you described. If the temp. was above 40* for two hours or more, I would not eat any meat or dairy products, or things made with dairy, like mayo.
40F is just a guideline agreed upon by FDA and similar Canadian institutions. At 40F some items last days, and some - months.
Food storage chart. If it lasts a week at 40F, how long will it last at 63F? 3 hours, 5 hours, 8?
A frozen meat or fish taken out of freezer may take more than 8 hours at 77F to thaw and warm up to this temperature. At 63F it will take longer yet - it probably won't even thaw by the end of a weekend trip. You can't, of course, freeze dairy products, other than ice-cream or frozen yogurt.
