Thats right Oregano !
I do leave cream cheese out on the counter to " Soften " it for recipes , sometimes for many hours.
That is just the way I always did it.


Addimom , did you throw it away or not?

I threw it out.

But I, too, leave it out to soften for hours, so I don't really know if I just wasted it. I erred on the side of caution. Our house is pretty warm, ~72 degrees. I was going to make a cheese cake and didn't want to risk it.

Oh, and I leave butter out too. After reading this thread, I Googled it and found that you can actually leave butter out, at room temp,. for several days before it goes rancid. You just have to keep it covered. (Check the smell and "bitterness" to test it though.)

__________________