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.
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.
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.
Look for mold: If you see any mold growing on the surface of the soup, it's definitely time to throw it out. 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.
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.
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.
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.
After you eat, cool your leftovers rapidly so they don't stay in the danger zone for too long. Don't leave food on your countertop for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour, if it's 90 F or hotter). Put leftovers in the refrigerator right away, even if they are still hot.
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.
Growth of Clostridium botulinum in food may cause container lids to bulge and cause foods to have a bad odor. Commercial or home-canned food products with bulging lids or a bad odor should not be eaten.
If food has been hygienically prepared, cooled quickly after cooking (or reheating) and stored cold, reheating more than once should not increase the risk of illness. However, prolonged storage and repeated reheating will affect the taste, texture, and sometimes the nutritional quality of foods.
Reheat sauces, soups, and gravies to a boil. On stove top: Place food in pan and heat thoroughly. The food should reach at least 165 °F on a food thermometer when safely reheated.
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.
It should taste delicious and salty, like soup should taste. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for a total of 12 hours, either a whole waking day or overnight. Occasionally, skim off the fat from the top.
Is it safe to leave a slow cooker on for 12 hours? Yes, you can use your slow cooker for longer than eight hours, as long as you keep an eye on it. Many slow cookers do have an automatic shutoff after 24 hours.
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.
Most soups stay fresh and retain their flavour in the fridge for three or four days. You should aim to consume refrigerated soup within this timeframe for maximum safety, taste, and quality.
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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