Food Left Out, Spoilage concern

[Cooking Goddess]

On occasions when the 'fridge has been full at Christmas and I've had to deal with a big bird I've put it in the boot of the car overnight prior to cooking it....

When we lived in OH, we had a more family around. Back when my parents and aunts were still alive and the kids lived at home, we would have a big holiday meal, no matter what the holiday: Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's - we hosted all of them when my folks were on in years. Himself and I would kid about how much trouble we'd be in if we lived down south and didn't have the convenience of our huge "walk-out cooler"...the attached garage.

 

[jennyema]

Steve that was hysterical.

I wouldn't eat it.

Also, boiling it doesn't necessarily make it safe.

 

[taxlady]

Steve left out the part where Chief Longwind writes a five paragraph reply, sort of on topic.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Steve that was hysterical.

I wouldn't eat it.

Also, boiling it doesn't necessarily make it safe.

+1, depends on what kind of buggies wandered in while it was sitting out. Some, the buggies themselves won't make you sick, but their out put (toxins) will.

But, as Creative is still posting, I think she answered her own question.

 

[mozart]

Kind of surprised that most folks here seem to condone eating food that has been left in the danger zone for at least 16 hours.
And there is no scientific basis for "constitution" having anything to do with food poisoning. If you ingest a sufficient number of pathgenic organisms or their toxins, you will get sick.

 

[creative]

Kind of surprised that most folks here seem to condone eating food that has been left in the danger zone for at least 16 hours.
And there is no scientific basis for "constitution" having anything to do with food poisoning. If you ingest a sufficient number of pathgenic organisms or their toxins, you will get sick.

Regarding one's constitution - this may have a lot to do with the immune system. For instance, if someone's immunity is quite strong, they will be less susceptible to succumbing to the local virus doing the rounds. Scientifically, this may come down to the number of white blood cells (that combat foreign invaders). A good immune system can be due to many influencing factors e.g. diet/nutrition but also the mindset. I have a hard wired positive mindset and am rarely ill. (I also take a good vit/min supplement though and eat reasonably healthy, i.e. not very processed).

 

[Mad Cook]

Kind of surprised that most folks here seem to condone eating food that has been left in the danger zone for at least 16 hours.
And there is no scientific basis for "constitution" having anything to do with food poisoning. If you ingest a sufficient number of pathgenic organisms or their toxins, you will get sick.

The climate in North America, particularly where you are, and the climate in Britain are two different issues. You would find our summers uncomfortably cold particularly at night. What is a danger zone for you is not so for us.

Anyway, putting hot food in the refrigerator is actually more dangerous that leaving it out to cool as it will raise the temperature of the other items in there.

 

[jennyema]

Anyway, putting hot food in the refrigerator is actually more dangerous that leaving it out to cool as it will raise the temperature of the other items in there.

That's a myth, actually.

Myth: You should not put hot food in the refrigerator.
Fact: Hot foods can be placed directly in the refrigerator. A large pot of food like soup or stew should be divided into small portions and put in shallow containers for quicker cooling in the refrigerator. If you leave food out to cool and forget about it, then toss it! Bacteria grow rapidly in the “danger zone” between 40 °F and 140 °F. Always follow the “two hour rule” for cooked foods – eat them or refrigerate them within two hours at a refrigerator temperature of 40 °F or below. And, if left out in a room or outdoors where the temperature is 90 ºF or above, food should be refrigerated or eaten within just 1 hour – or discarded.

Mythbusters: Dishing Up Food Safety Fact From Fiction - Partnership for Food Safety Education

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...or.+Fact:+Hot+foods+can+be+placed+directly+in

 

[creative]

Well I survived! Sometimes using intuition takes over where strict, hard and fast rules appear too rigid - (with zero flexibility). Just a thought....i.e. just saying what I do.

 

[CarolPa]

Most holiday celebrations are held at my house. My step-daughter is hyper sensitive about food sitting out. I will look around for something and here she has put it back in the refrigerator. When I was growing up, I lived in less-than-sanitary conditions. It's a wonder that I have never become ill from food borne illnesses.

 

[Addie]

Most holiday celebrations are held at my house. My step-daughter is hyper sensitive about food sitting out. I will look around for something and here she has put it back in the refrigerator. When I was growing up, I lived in less-than-sanitary conditions. It's a wonder that I have never become ill from food borne illnesses.

It could be that those less than sanitary conditions gave your immune system a boost.

 

[creative]

Good point Addie...was thinking the same!

 

[jennyema]

Food poisoning is nothing to take lightly. IMO, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

"While (episodes of food poisoning)can be fatal, most people recover after a few days.


But this month’s issue of Scientific American warns that even a short bout of sickness or diarrhoea could have long-term consequences.


Studies have linked E coli to kidney failure and diabetes and campylobacter to bowel problems and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a potentially fatal condition in which the immune system attacks the nerves, causing muscle weakness and paralysis.


Salmonella has been blamed for a form of arthritis.
Scientific American says: ‘It is a scary idea that food poisoning - which we think of as lasting just a few days - could instead have lifelong after-effects.


‘The incidence of such “sequelae”, in medical parlance, has been thought to be low, but not many researchers studied the problem until recently.


‘New findings by several scientific teams suggest the phenomenon is more common than anyone thought.’
Figures are still relatively scarce.


But one of the most ‘stunning and persuasive’ studies was carried out on Canada after thousands of men and women became ill from drinking water contaminated with manure.

A government-funded study found that, eight years later, those who suffered severe diarrhoea due to the dirty water were more than twice as likely to have had a heart attack or stroke than those who were unaffected or only mildly ill.

Their risk of kidney problems was more than three times as high. They also had greater than normal odds of high blood pressure.

Even those with milder symptoms had circulatory problems that may have been triggered by the stomach bug."

"Long-term consequences are not limited to individuals who were hospitalized, .... They have also been recorded in people who experienced what seemed to be minor bouts of fever, vomiting or diarrhea. The consequences include reactive arthritis, urinary tract problems and damage to the eyes after Salmonella and Shigella infections; Guillain-Barré syndrome and ulcerative colitis (a chronic bowel inflammation) after Campylobacter infection; and kidney failure and diabetes after infection with Escherichia coli O157:H7. Those organisms are very common: federal investigators have identified them in meat, milk, poultry, eggs, seafood, fruit, vegetables and even processed foods."

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/food-poisonings-hidden-legacy/

 

[taxlady]

Very interesting Jennyemma. This implies that while our ancestors may not have gotten symptoms of food poisoning, they may have put themselves at greater risk of other problems.

Dang, I hate having to treat food as though it were medical waste.

 

[Addie]

Very interesting Jennyemma. This implies that while our ancestors may not have gotten symptoms of food poisoning, they may have put themselves at greater risk of other problems.

Dang, I hate having to treat food as though it were medical waste.

I know where you can get those red plastic bags for medical hazardous waste.

 

[Addie]

Good point Addie...was thinking the same!

I know as a small child, I took my mother's big spoon and dug in the dirt, ran barefoot every summer not only on the grass, but into the chicken coop and other places without even thinking that is might be hazardous. And I doubt if my parents were concerned either. They were very happy that I wasn't outgrowing my shoes before the start of the next school year.

 

[mozart]

The climate in North America, particularly where you are, and the climate in Britain are two different issues. You would find our summers uncomfortably cold particularly at night. What is a danger zone for you is not so for us.

Anyway, putting hot food in the refrigerator is actually more dangerous that leaving it out to cool as it will raise the temperature of the other items in there.

The danger zone is above 45 degrees no matter where you live. Unless you are storing a lot of hot food, refrigerators will not have a problem keeping the other food cool. In any event, it shouldn't take more than an hour for food to coll enough to put it in, and if it does then you could put it in smaller containers to cool.

 

[creative]

....once upon a time there were no fridges...just saying!

 

[mozart]

Regarding one's constitution - this may have a lot to do with the immune system. For instance, if someone's immunity is quite strong, they will be less susceptible to succumbing to the local virus doing the rounds. Scientifically, this may come down to the number of white blood cells (that combat foreign invaders). A good immune system can be due to many influencing factors e.g. diet/nutrition but also the mindset. I have a hard wired positive mindset and am rarely ill. (I also take a good vit/min supplement though and eat reasonably healthy, i.e. not very processed).

While one's immune system may be the difference between a mild case or a bad case, there is still a level of pathogens which will cause almost everyone to become ill. And immune systems are not effective against toxins like Staph or Botulism.

Most folks have never had real food poisoning and once they do their attitude changes a lot.

 

[mozart]

....once upon a time there were no fridges...just saying!

Once upon a time, living to 35 was old age....just saying