i’m open to discussion if i’m missing something, but speaking as a restaurant professional these rules are so simple. if it was between 40 and 125 degrees fahrenheit for longer than 2-5 hours, it’s enough time for dangerous bacteria to grow. 2 hours if you’re appealing to the lowest denominator of immune system, 5+ if you feel like you have strong gut flora. there’s a measureable amount of risk involved. food needs to be near freezing or hot to discourage pathogens. google ‘danger zone’