Last night we went out to dinner and brought back the leftovers in a couple of doggie bags. As I am inclined to do, I left them in the car all night long and well into the morning before I remembered to bring them in. My wife wouldn’t even consider eating anything that had been left out that long, but I figure if I thoroughly reheat everything, then I should be OK.
So the question is how risky is that? Does it depend on the kind of food? For example, my guess is that the chips were probably fine without anything being done to them, the queso was probably OK after boiling it in the microwave, but the meat products were probably pretty risky.
I have a similar question about leftover homemade pie. It seems to me that after it has done its time in the oven at 350 degrees Farenhite it will be completely sterile, and any spoilage will have to start from scratch once it cools down. So how long will that pie sitting out last before it gets dangerous?