JessicaR
<font color=blue>DIS Veteran<br><font color=green>
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2000
- Messages
- 15,730
Check this out!
I do wonder what you ended up doing. More than a few times I have done similar things. No meat I save it and heat it. So far so good. I guess you would be taking a chance just dont know how drastic that chance is.
Can you eat soup that has been left on the stove all night?
Conventional wisdom would tell you "no". However, I've been doing this all my life with no problems so far. Reheat the soup until piping hot before eating. Be more cautious if the soup contains meat or fish.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_eat_soup_that_has_been_left_on_the_stove_all_night
The official answer is no. I HATE when I do that!
Is it safe to eat leftover food that was left out on the counter to cool at dinnertime, then forgotten until morning? Will additional cooking kill the bacteria that may have grown?
No. Bacteria exist everywhere in nature. They are in the soil, air, water, and the foods we eat. When they have nutrients (food), moisture, and favorable temperatures, they grow rapidly, increasing in numbers to the point where some types of bacteria can cause illness. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, some doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. Some types will produce toxins that are not destroyed by cooking.
Pathogenic bacteria do not generally affect the taste, smell, or appearance of a food. In other words, one cannot tell that a food has been mishandled or is dangerous to eat. For example, food that has been left too long on the counter may be dangerous to eat, but could smell and look fine. If a food has been left in the "Danger Zone" between 40 and 140 °F for more than 2 hours, discard it, even though it may look and smell good. Never taste a food to see if it is spoiled.
I do wonder what you ended up doing. More than a few times I have done similar things. No meat I save it and heat it. So far so good. I guess you would be taking a chance just dont know how drastic that chance is.
Can you eat soup that has been left on the stove all night?
Conventional wisdom would tell you "no". However, I've been doing this all my life with no problems so far. Reheat the soup until piping hot before eating. Be more cautious if the soup contains meat or fish.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_eat_soup_that_has_been_left_on_the_stove_all_night
The official answer is no. I HATE when I do that!
Is it safe to eat leftover food that was left out on the counter to cool at dinnertime, then forgotten until morning? Will additional cooking kill the bacteria that may have grown?
No. Bacteria exist everywhere in nature. They are in the soil, air, water, and the foods we eat. When they have nutrients (food), moisture, and favorable temperatures, they grow rapidly, increasing in numbers to the point where some types of bacteria can cause illness. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, some doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. Some types will produce toxins that are not destroyed by cooking.
Pathogenic bacteria do not generally affect the taste, smell, or appearance of a food. In other words, one cannot tell that a food has been mishandled or is dangerous to eat. For example, food that has been left too long on the counter may be dangerous to eat, but could smell and look fine. If a food has been left in the "Danger Zone" between 40 and 140 °F for more than 2 hours, discard it, even though it may look and smell good. Never taste a food to see if it is spoiled.
