Pie left uncovered overnight

[u/Sapphirebracelet13]

Posted here because r/isitsafetoeat isn't letting me post for some reason

Last night, I made a homemade cherry pie completely from scratch. Had to rebake it because it didn't cook all the way the first time and I left it to cool overnight.

I googled it and fruit pies can be left at room temperature for 1-2 days. Problem is, I didn't cover it. There's been a few gnats in my kitchen but I didn’t really see any by the pie. It still safe to eat?

(Plastic wrap was added 10 minutes ago)

[u/Free_Lobotomy]

Yes it’s fine to eat. And it looks delicious!

[u/Short-Sound-4190]

Leaving a fully cooked pie at room temperature isn't an issue. Curious what you mean though by "I had to rebake it because it wasn't cooked all the way" - as if what you mean by that is that you left a half-baked pie out overnight that's potentially a different story, depends on if the combination of temperature over time was at least able to kill potential bacteria in the flour/egg (ideally you reached that point during the first bake and again at reheating killed any leftover reproducing bacteria). It certainly looks nicely baked enough on top to suggest you did.

If the gnats are from some fruit or a plant you brought home or something, I'd suggest giving your kitchen sink a good clean while you try to tackle them. Probably would squick me out to have left the pie uncovered, but if get over it and just eat soon before they reproduce in there (often people place a loose cloth over top to avoid bugs getting into a pie but still allow it to cool/sit at room temperature without changing the temperature to mush from condensation - something like a clean flour sack towel or clean lightweight apron, you can arrange a few cans or bottles around the pie to keep the cloth you lay over top from sitting directly on the pie and getting stained)

[u/Sapphirebracelet13 → u/Short-Sound-4190]

I halfbaked it, then the filling was still undercooked so cooked it all the way through before leaving it out

[u/WerkingAvatar → u/Sapphirebracelet13]

As long as it was cooked the whole way thru before leaving it out and there wasn't too much time between the second bake you should be good to go.

[u/Alteregokai]

I can't say whether or not it's safe to eat. With myself, I do a sniff test (I'm on the spectrum and my sense of smell is pretty strong) and I'd go for it if nothing else seemed ajar.

The gnats aren't so much the concern for me, it's extra protein at the end of the day, it's the microbes that cause food poisoning. To be clear, I'm not saying you should, saying what I'd do in this situation.

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[u/Oh_Kerms]

Whatever bacteria you are worried the flies might introduce are already in the air and on your pie no matter how fast you cover it. The biggest worry is that bacteria produce the actual toxins that make people sick when they grow.

The high sugar and acid arent conducive to bacteria growth so you're safe in that respect. If you're worried about eating eggs, eat the pie fast soon and ignore that reality 🤭

[u/Groundhog_Gary28]

Looks absolutely dangerous and unsafe to eat. I wouldn’t risk it. I can do you a favor and dispose of it for you though. Where might you live? I can stop by and pick it up….for disposal…if you’re close. You don’t want the already dangerous and unsafe bacteria fermenting in your bin…just saying

Seriously though with flies around and it left uncovered overnight like that I personally wouldn’t eat it. Actuslly id probably just scrape the top layer off of the whole thing to be real. Not because it’s unsafe, I’m just super quirky and unreasonable about that shit especially when flies are involved. They were probably all over it. If that doesn’t bother you and gross you out then I’d say it’s most likely fine to eat. Its truly a beautiful pie and looks absolutely tantalizingly scrumptious