How long does mayonnaise (like in potato salad, macaroni salad, tuna salad)

[no_hypocrisy]

have to be away from refrigeration before it goes bad and can give you food poisoning?

[ret5hd]

1. about 37 seconds.

(really, i don’t know)

[2MuchNoise]

2. LOL. In this heat you're probably right.

[ret5hd]

7. some parts of the country you can only...

eat half your sandwich.

[2MuchNoise]

8. LOL

[Ritabert]

3. Personally I err on the side of caution but here's a nice guide

Last edited Tue Jul 1, 2025, 08:09 PM - Edit history (1)

https://applianceupdate.com/how-long-can-mayonnaise-stay-out-of-the-refrigerator/

[JMCKUSICK]

4. I would recommend keeping something like that out for

As little time as possible, certainly less than two hours.
https://greatist.com/eat/how-long-is-it-safe-to-leave-potato-salad-out-of-the-refrigerator
If temp is above 90, it's one hour.

[Alice Kramden]

5. Depends on how warm it is

On a hot day, if the mayo is outside, it could turn bad in under an hour - room temperature (air conditioned) I'd trust it for maybe 2 hours.

[sl8]

6. One or two hours, but the mayo isn't the problem.

https://www.southernliving.com/how-long-you-can-leave-your-potato-salad-out-11712839#:

Commercial mayo is very inhospitable to bacteria, but the same isn't true for the potatoes and other ingredients. The mixture in the salad can go off very quickly when warm.


On edit:
Safety of room temperature commercial mayo, alone:
https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe/foodkeeper-app

[Akakoji]

9. Its density of mayo and salad, and salt percentage

Anything with at least ac15% salt percentage such as a typical soy sauce, could last for years. In the case of muscle meats or other dense proteins such as salamis or meats you really have to supplement with #1 or #2 curing salts. But kept at a temp below 59F salads can last a few days. They will create lactic acid bacteria - hopefully - that can dramatically alter PH and taste. If people are putting used spoons or forks into your salad all estimates are off. And if the density of your mayo has been watered down.

[moniss]

10. Rule of thumb we used to live by was

that if it hit room temperature you were in trouble. That will usually happen in an hour +/- but in the summer outside on a picnic table you can easily cut that in just abo0ut half. If you really pay attention you will see a change in appearance also. Summertime I won't eat anything with mayo that I'm not 100% sure of how long it's been sitting out.

[applegrove]

11. I had a cooking teacher who told us because of the vinegar in the mayonnaise

Last edited Tue Jul 1, 2025, 11:12 PM - Edit history (1)

it lasts longer, but I don't know what the timing is.

[mahina]

12. Mayonnaise is poison immediately upon being made into mayonnaise

It is not for eating

Well, you did ask.

Seriously though I’ve observed people who grew up with things about food Father forced her to eat onions and she’s 65 years old and she physically cannot choke down an onion. It’s all in her head just like me and mayonnaise- which for the record, is completely vile.

I hope that this has been helpful

And I eat raw fish and seaweed right out of the ocean

[Trueblue Texan]

13. It's not the mayo that is the big danger...it's the potatoes

Mayo will separate and get gross, but the oil in it provides some protection from bacterial growth. But the potatoes are full of starch and provide a good breeding ground for bacteria. Potatoes in their jackets are ripe opportunities for botulism bacteria/toxins. NEVER eat a potato that’s been left out of the fridge without heating it thoroughly and remember, heating food doesn’t destroy toxins that have already developed from the bacteria.