I got a package of tofu dogs with my groceries and somehow missed putting it in the fridge with the other stuff. By the time I realized it, it had been sitting out a good 8 hours.
I know this is too long for meat, but I don’t know about tofu. Should I keep them or toss them?
Since it’s supposed to be refrigerated, I would go with the two hour rule. I’m a little OCD about that, but I’d rather not take a chance.
Nah. I’d eat them. Let us know how it turned out: if you live.
Hell, you’re in Canada. They’re probably still frozen.
All kidding aside, I think you’re okay as long as you’ll be cooking them.
I think I would cook them well and eat them. I don’t believe that eight hours is too long for meat either, but again I would cook it well. After all, there have been refrigerators for less than 100 years. Meat is often hung for several days, to develop the taste and to tenderize it.
After the great ice storm of '98 when we were without power for 7 1/2 days, we took all the meat from the freezer and made a giant stew that we (froze and) ate from for weeks. We cooked it long and well and suffered not at all. Of course, the house was around 1 C by the time we got our power back.
If tofu dogs are packaged in the same sort of hermetically-sealed plastic shrink-wrap that regular hot dogs are, you could probably leave them out for weeks or months and they’d still be fine. Most things in that sort of packaging are “refrigerate after opening”, and it doesn’t matter what happens before opening.
Yeah, they’re tightly packed in plastic wrap. I guess I’ll keep 'em, I cook them pretty well anyway.
tofu dogs?
For vegetarians. They’re sort of like hot dogs, except that they more closely approximate something that would actually be considered meat.
So, did you eat them and live?
Yes! I have not been cast of this mortal coil, yet.
Although to correct Chronos, I’m not a vegetarian. I just don’t eat red meat or things made from it.
The texture and taste of the dogs is actually almost exactly like the real thing, but much better for you. You should try one if you never have. Not all tofu products succeed in mimicry though. I tried a meatless marinated chicken breast awhile ago and it was like eating a vinegary, stringy gym sock.
(psst… Re-read what I wrote. I was saying that “genuine” hot dogs aren’t really meat)
Glad to hear your dogs were OK…
A good tofu dog is virtually impossible to tell from a standard hot dog; I have given them to my family/friends on several occasions with none of them being able to tell the difference.
What brand is your favorite? (Smart Dogs are the ones I end up getting the most often).
Y’know, I’ve never had a problem eating food left out for less than ~24 hours. Yesterday, I had a yogurt that had been out for 36. I always eat meat-topped pizza that has been out all night. Am I fecklessly tempting fate? I mean, I’ve reached 35, and have been doing this for 20 years…
Joe
I’ve eaten plenty of Tofu Pups. They’re definitely an acceptable better-for-you alternative to hot dogs. They taste ok. But let’s not kid ourselves here. They’re “almost exactly like the real thing” the same way that Velveeta is “almost exactly” like artisan cheese.
This is good to know. I lurve me some hot dogs, but I know how terrible they are for me. I’ve always wanted to try the tofu dogs, but was always a little squicked out by them. Now I know, so thanks!
Well, yogurt needs to hang out for at least 8 hours at room temperature to even become yogurt, so it’s not like you are doing anything to crazy. For a healthy adult it is usually okay to take some risks, as long as you realize you could spend a day throwing up now and then.
Seriously ? A non-meat product, tha’ts going to be cooked, has been left out for only eight hours. Of course it will be fine, unless you live in the tropics or have a weak immune system, its is ok to leave food out of the refrigerator occasionally.
shakes fist at hermetically sealed OCD cotton wool culture
I like the President’s Choice brand, but Yves is a close second. 
Well, tofu is an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, which is why I balked at it. But I realized that tofu in its original state is more likely to be a problem than the more processed dogs.