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Would you eat this


kfeusse
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Can anybody enlighten me about the source of bacteria in thoroughly cooked , covered, food in my kitchen on timescales of hours?

If I have a pot of, say, mashed potatoes or chilli with a lid sitting on my counter, from what source do harmful bacteria come and enter this pot? 

 

This is a completely different scenario from unrefrigerated raw foods that can already be bacterially contaminated when you buy them, and where refrigeration inhibits the increase of bacterial count. Or from a potluck where strangers have access to foods and can contaminate them with bacteria they carry on their unwashed hands.

 

This article would indicate that it is "survivalist" bacteria. I know a food safety microbiologist who studies this. He is traveling in a remote area right now so I can't contact him, but I'll try to remember to ask him when he returns in a few weeks.

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I don't think anyone is saying you can't/shouldn't leave cooked food out for an hour or two. Leaving perishable food out overnight or all day is not safe because bacteria grow and multiply rapidly in the "danger zone" (40° to 140° F).

 

https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/basics/chill/index.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/food-safety/faq-20058500

https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/keep-food-safe.html

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This article would indicate that it is "survivalist" bacteria. I know a food safety microbiologist who studies this. He is traveling in a remote area right now so I can't contact him, but I'll try to remember to ask him when he returns in a few weeks.

 

I like the article because it admits that the official guidelines are far too conservative, which actually leads people to disregard them completely. 

 

For those of us too lazy to even consider spreading food into shallow pans to cool: just stir the dang chili! Thereby bringing the heat to the top to dissipate more easily. Everything will cool off with plenty of time in the actual safe zone, which almost everyone agrees is considerably longer than two hours. 

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