bethzaring
Master Chef
With all the recent discussion of food poisoning and leaving foods out all night by mistake, I would like to see some discussion of how you deal with this problem.
I cook to generate leftovers. I like to serve food hot. Like tonight, I made Kadesma's tomato and cheese casserole. When dinner was over, the casserole dish was still quite warm. While I tidy up the kitchen after dinner, I will draw a few inches of cold water in the sink and set the casserole dish in it. After a few minutes, I will check the temperature of the water. If the water is warm to the touch, I will drain the water and draw fresh cold water for the casserole to set in. If the water is still cool, I do not bother to change the water. Once I leave the kitchen after supper, I generally do not return to the kitchen until the next morning, so it is imperative that I leave no tasks to complete in the kitchen, such as dealing with a cooling casserole dish, which can be forgotten . I make sure all leftovers are in the frig before I leave the kitchen every evening. Setting the casserole dish in cold water really cools the dish down enough that by the time I put the leftovers in the frig, the food is much cooler. Some casseroles lend themselves to stirring, some don't. If I am cooling down a soup, I will stir the soup to distribute/even out the temperature.
I cook to generate leftovers. I like to serve food hot. Like tonight, I made Kadesma's tomato and cheese casserole. When dinner was over, the casserole dish was still quite warm. While I tidy up the kitchen after dinner, I will draw a few inches of cold water in the sink and set the casserole dish in it. After a few minutes, I will check the temperature of the water. If the water is warm to the touch, I will drain the water and draw fresh cold water for the casserole to set in. If the water is still cool, I do not bother to change the water. Once I leave the kitchen after supper, I generally do not return to the kitchen until the next morning, so it is imperative that I leave no tasks to complete in the kitchen, such as dealing with a cooling casserole dish, which can be forgotten . I make sure all leftovers are in the frig before I leave the kitchen every evening. Setting the casserole dish in cold water really cools the dish down enough that by the time I put the leftovers in the frig, the food is much cooler. Some casseroles lend themselves to stirring, some don't. If I am cooling down a soup, I will stir the soup to distribute/even out the temperature.