Good intentions, when not enacted, often lead us astray. It's so easy to say, "I'll do the dishes after we watch the movie," or "The soup is way too hot right now. I'll put it in the fridge after it cools off; say, when I do the dishes" -- and the next morning, you awake to not only a sink full of dirty dishes, but also a soup pot still sitting on the stove, cold and forlorn. No judgment here! While dirty dishes will never clean themselves, you might be tempted to ask if that batch of sausage and spinach tortellini soup is still salvageable. Wouldn't it be a waste to toss out? Doesn't heating it back up to boiling kill any nasty bugs and make it safe to eat? The short answer is: No! Do you have a death wish? The long answer is ...technically yes, but gross (and, again, not something you should do).
The range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit is what the USDA calls the "danger zone" of food storage.This is because when even cooked foods reach this temperature zone and stay there for more than two hours, they become a veritable petri dish for the growth of bacteria that can cause various food-borne illnesses with catchy names like Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter, and C. botulinum –-and that's far from a complete list.
Let's take each of those nasties in turn: According to the Minnesota Department of Health, S. aureus is typically associated with skin infections, but can also cause pneumonia. Johns Hopkins Medicine warns that contracting salmonella can result in a three-day hellscape of diarrhea, vomiting, fever, chills, and headaches.The symptoms of E. coli are similar to those caused by salmonella, but potentially fatal, as noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also perthe CDC, campylobacter might at first present like regular food poisoning, but can sometimes result in complications like arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome. Among many other awful symptoms, botulism can straight-up cause paralysis, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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So, yeah: Toss that soup that sat out overnight. Now, to the question of whether or not boiling it will kill off these bugs -- that might be technically true, but it comes with a big caveat. To be completely safe, you'll have to boil the soup vigorously for 10 minutes. Doing this will not only kill off any active bacteria, it will also inactivate -- but not destroy -- botulinum spores. Boiling chicken stock for 10 minutes is one thing, but is there any actual soup recipe that wouldn't be rendered inedible by a 10-minute boil?Try that with your creamy salmon and scallop chowder. You might as well put it in the blender.
Spores The Merrier
The reason you'd have to boil your soup so long is solely to inactivate botulism toxin spores, because one minute of boiling is sufficient to kill off active bacteria. But botulism spores things are nasty --they start germinating below 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and by the time your soup got to body temperature, they were doubling their number every 15 minutes; at room temperature, they double every hour and a half. This is not something you want to mess with.
Obviously, food poisoning is awful and something to be avoided, but you don't have to store your cooked food safely solely out of fear. The best soups are those which are cooked to perfection and stored in as pristine a state as possible; the cleanest stocks are the ones that are strained and chilled as soon as they're cool enough to handle. Sometimes the wisest thing a cook can do is throw out something they've labored over, lest it bring harm instead of nourishment.
To be completely safe, you'll have to boil the soup vigorously for 10 minutes. Doing this will not only kill off any active bacteria, it will also inactivate -- but not destroy -- botulinum spores.
On most occasions, you shouldn't leave soup out overnight. This is because when the stock in the soup cools below 130°F, dangerous bacteria can multiply. If you do decide that you want to leave soup out overnight, it's recommended that you boil the soup for 10 minutes to kill any active bacteria.
The food danger zone is that place between 40 and 140 °F where pathogens grow most quickly. It can take a long time to get through the danger zone when cooling a large batch of chili, soup or stew. The soup must cool from 140 to 70 °F in 2 hours and from 70 to 40 °F in no more than 4 hours.
Check the texture: If the soup has become slimy or has a strange texture, it's a sign that it's gone bad. Taste a small amount: If you're still not sure, you can taste a small amount of the soup. If it tastes off or has a strange flavor, it's best to err on the side of caution and throw it out.
Eating food left out overnight is a food safety no-no. No exceptions. So, please make your personal pledge today to NEVER eat it. Even if you're in the habit of doing this and haven't gotten sick yet, it's better to be safe than to take the risk and become terribly ill or lose your life to foodborne illness.
Reheating food may not make it safe. If food is left out too long, some bacteria, such as staphylococcus aureus (staph), can form a heat-resistant toxin that cooking can't destroy. One of the most common sources of staph bacteria is the human body.
The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm. After this, it needs to be cooled and transferred into the refrigerator.
To be completely safe, you'll have to boil the soup vigorously for 10 minutes. Doing this will not only kill off any active bacteria, it will also inactivate -- but not destroy -- botulinum spores.
Can cause food poisoning when soups, stew, and gravies made with meat, fish, or poultry are left at room temperature and not refrigerated for long periods of time.
A general rule of thumb is that soup can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days, but you should always taste your dish before deciding to reheat. A clear, vegetable-based soup with some acidity, such as tomatoes, may last longer.
The shortest can be from 30 minutes after eating; the longest may only show symptoms a week or more after eating. If you suspect you have food poisoning, it is recommended that you seek diagnosis from a doctor. The most common symptoms of food poisoning are nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea.
The best plan is to put leftovers in the refrigerator right after your meal. Food that is sitting out for a party or picnic should be chilled after two hours at typical room temperature. If it's above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) or more, food should not sit out for more than one hour.
Cooking and reheating are the most effective ways to eliminate bacterial hazards in food. Most foodborne bacteria and viruses can be killed when food is cooked or reheated long enough at sufficient high temperature.
A general rule of thumb is that soup can be stored in the refrigerator for about three days, but you should always taste your dish before deciding to reheat. A clear, vegetable-based soup with some acidity, such as tomatoes, may last longer. Chicken soup usually lasts three to five days.
Remove from heat, cover pot, and let sit on the counter overnight. In the morning, skim off fat, if desired. I only do this when the animal is a very fatty one.
Also keep in mind that like most foods that need to be refrigerated, an open container of stock shouldn't be left at room temperature for more than two hours. So every time you use the stock, reseal it and put it right back in the fridge right away.
Cooked chicken, can be left out for two hours at the most unless it's kept warm—above 140°F. Any cooked chicken left at room temperature for more than two hours should probably be thrown out.
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