Here come the holidays. Food safety has always been a concern of mine. I'm a bit of a nut about it especially when it comes to meat. Below is a portion of an article from the Prepared Pantry and a link to the rest of the article.

Nothing will spoil your upcoming holiday quicker than food poisoning and yet there are millions of cases each year in the U.S. Most cases are mild—not much more than an inconvenience—but some are serious and occasionally fatal. You can protect your food, your families, and your guests by following few safety precautions.

Understanding Potentially Hazardous Foods
The FDA categorizes foods as “potentially hazardous” (PHF) and not potentially hazardous.

Though there are exceptions such as, some pies with a high sugar content, if it is moist, it is likely to be potentially hazardous. So your favorite casserole is potentially hazardous while the chocolate chip cookies that you baked yesterday are not. The cookie dough is and should be refrigerated because it is moist. Banana bread is likely potentially hazardous while a banana muffin may not be—it all depends on the moisture. (If there are chunks of bananas in either, they are likely potentially hazardous.) .....

....Remember that leaving the food on the counter for an hour will allow existing bacteria to multiply. Placing it in the refrigerator will cause them to become inactive, once the food is thoroughly chilled, only to become active and begin multiplying again if the food is subsequently left out.

Understanding Potentially Hazardous Foods
FDA Meat Safety Chart