Do you eat food that has been left out?

[wdwiala]

I know why the "rules" are, so no need to repost them. I have family members that leave holiday meals out all day so everyone can easily graze through at dinner time. I've seen others eat pizza that sat out all night. Maybe the preservatives, etc in our foods keep them from getting sick?

Do you eat/leave out food for long periods of time and still eat it?

 

[pat fan]

Pizza, yes. Turkey and such, no way.

 

[Brit17]

No, I personally do not ... Just not worth taking the chance of possibly getting sick from it ... It's just as easy to put it in the fridge and then popping it in the microwave or the oven to reheat it later ...

 

[nmmom95]

I do not. Like Brit17, I don't feel it's worth the risk.

 

[Micca]

It it is cooked food that has been out for more than 2 hours, I do not eat it. However, I've known people who don't seem too concerned about such things, and I'm unaware of any issues they've had from it. I have friends who said in their college days they'd order pizza for dinner and finish it the next day after it had been left out all night. I don't do it, nor do I recommend it, but I'm certain it happens with some frequency.

 

[StephMK]

No, not if it's been out longer than an hour or so. DH has brought home leftover pizza from work functions that sat out all afternoon. He eats it for dinner and has not had any issues *yet* but I won't touch it or feed it to my younger kids. DD18 eats it and is ok but yuck, I can't do it.

Don't even get me started on potluck picnics - I barely like to eat even right when it's been put out.

Worse, DD had friends spend the night & they left out 2 pieces of dried up frozen pizza on the stove. When I checked after they left this am, one of the pieces was gone. Ick.

 

[AlwaysMoving]

I know someone who, when they make fried chicken for dinner, places the leftovers in the oven with a towel draped over the plate. I was shocked that they did not think that was unsafe. Yes, they eat it for breakfast.

 

[HunnyPots]

No, not a fan of food poisoning, thanks anyway.

 

[sunshine1178]

I know why the "rules" are, so no need to repost them. I have family members that leave holiday meals out all day so everyone can easily graze through at dinner time. I've seen others eat pizza that sat out all night. Maybe the preservatives, etc in our foods keep them from getting sick?

Do you eat/leave out food for long periods of time and still eat it?

No, I have enough tummy issues already. I am aware of people who do it without ill effects, though. I just wish I knew WHY! I can only think of laziness -- surely there is a better excuse?

 

[LisaR]

My SIL is a really good cook and she always hosted a family get together between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was never a big fan of eggs even as a little kid. She always cut hard boiled eggs in half and put them on top of the salad. No biggie because I could always pick them off. The problem was that she made the salad in the morning and let it sit on the counter until dinner time which was generally around 6pm. I just couldn't bring myself to ever eat her salads.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Somethings you can leave out and eat later, some things you can't. Cheese, for example, tastes miles better at room temperature than refrigerated and won't spoil. (It will grow mold faster at room temp than in a fridge, but if you buy it and eat it within a week, it's not a problem.) Some cooked and preserved meats will stay good for quite a while. Most baked things will stay good a long time. Pizza is fine overnight. It's bread and melted cheese and cooked preserved meats and tomato sauce. Nothing in it will spoil if left out overnight, so why not?

I definitely don't risk food poisoning, but I do think the idea that everything has to be put in the fridge or it will go bad is kind of like not being able to pee without having a gasket cover or putting a hotel TV remote in a plastic baggie before using it.

 

[Eeyore98]

I have family members that leave holiday meals out all day so everyone can easily graze through at dinner time. I've seen others eat pizza that sat out all night. Maybe the preservatives, etc in our foods keep them from getting sick?

Do you eat/leave out food for long periods of time and still eat it?

No, I don't risk it.

And no, it's not the preservatives, it's just luck. Back in the day, people canned low-acid foods without pressure canning, and many/most of them were fine. But *some* of them died from botulism.

 

[luvmy3]

That depends on how much I drink. After 4 or 5 drinks I don't care how long food has been sitting out, I need something to soak up the Captain.

 

[MichelleVW]

Me, not so much, but my DH will. But a couple years ago we were on an extended family vacation to Disney and my brother made Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast (they are legendary and totally delicious!) Well, they sat out an hour and he THREW THEM AWAY!! He said he didn't want food poisoning!! Omg I bet they were STILL WARM!! My sister and I are still mad at him for throwing those away!

 

[Eeyore98]

Me, not so much, but my DH will. But a couple years ago we were on an extended family vacation to Disney and my brother made Biscuits and Gravy for breakfast (they are legendary and totally delicious!) Well, they sat out an hour and he THREW THEM AWAY!! He said he didn't want food poisoning!! Omg I bet they were STILL WARM!! My sister and I are still mad at him for throwing those away!

Wow, that is over the top! Even the "rules", as the OP calls them, say food is ok to be out up to 2 total hours without being at temperatures over 140 or below 40.

 

[low-key]

yes, I eat everything

 

[MichelleVW]

Wow, that is over the top! Even the "rules", as the OP calls them, say food is ok to be out up to 2 total hours without being at temperatures over 140 or below 40.

Yep...it was summer 2010 and we are still mad at him!!

 

[Ember]

I find DIS posters have a tendency towards paranoid with regards to food.

I will eat most food that has been left out for a reasonable amount of time, I will eat leftovers, I will eat something a child helped prepare, and (on occasion) I will even pick something up that I dropped on the floor and pop it into my mouth.

There have been so many threads where people seem proud of the amount of food they throw food out for one reason or another, and it seems so wasteful.

 

[LisaR]

I find DIS posters have a tendency towards paranoid with regards to food.

I will eat most food that has been left out for a reasonable amount of time, I will eat leftovers, I will eat something a child helped prepare, and (on occasion) I will even pick something up that I dropped on the floor and pop it into my mouth.

There have been so many threads where people seem proud of the amount of food they throw food out for one reason or another, and it seems so wistful.

I'd rather eat something left out on the counter for a week than eat something prepared by a toddler.

 

[jenjifer]

Eh, depending on what it is (something with mayo? No. Something like pizza? You bet!). But I think your system gets a little more resistant over time. I like to joke that my mother-in-law can eat out of garbage bins and never get sick -- she thinks it's perfectly fine to eat cream cheese months after the expiration date ("just cut off the moldy part, it'll be fine") or eat mayo-based pasta salads a week after she made them. My rule: if I didn't see her make it with my own eyes AND peek at the expiration date on certain ingredients, I don't eat it.