I wonder if this is an US/the rest thing or maybe a meat eater / vegetarian thing. For exact scientific evaluation, please tell in which groups you fit in when commenting.
When the topic food is brought up here or there is always this guy saying “omg you can’t leave your food for 30 minutes on the counter because bacteria you know” (exaggerated) and I don’t get where that sentiment comes from. Many people agree and say you will get food poisoning from that.
First of all, let me tell you I am not an idiot (at least I hope so) and I know how microbiology works - bacteria is everywhere. I don’t doubt your food on the counter will get populated by bacteria, probably more than it would be in the fridge. The question is, is this bad for you?
Now, where I live (central Europe) people are not so fast with that and I wonder why this is. We have a temperate climate which could play a role, so a large portion of the year the temperature is pretty moderate, compared to let’s say south US. But apart from that I don’t really know.
I am a vegetarian, mostly vegan. I am pretty sure it’s not a good idea to leave animal parts out of the fridge, as they are already populated with bad bacteria when you buy them. But for vegetables? Pasta, soup, lasagna? To be honest, I have no shame to leave that stuff on the counter the whole day and even take a spoon from time to time without reheating. Over night I put it of course in the fridge, and in summer when we have 35°C it’s also a different thing. But in general I don’t really care. I know I cannot extrapolate on humanity, only because ai never felt bad after doing this. But honestly, am I an idiot? Or are you just a bit sensitive? Do you assume everybody eats meats?
Really interested in your ideas. Don’t forget to tell the region you are coming from and your diet preferences.
Thank you so much my respected lemmings and pie people
Meat eater, cooler climate in Australia.
We generally put things in the fridge but are also pretty casual about leaving things out.
There’s a lot of variables that would effect my inclination to consume something that had been left out for whatever period of time.
Cooked Rice is almost a perfect growth medium for bacteria. My Mrs cooks a batch in the rice cooker, doesn’t refrigerate it, but consumes it all within 36 hours. That said, it has just been boiled so you’re starting with almost no bacteria.
Dairy is the worst. Letting milk get to room temperature and leaving it for a half hour or so is going to dramatically reduce it’s lifetime even if you put it back in the fridge afterwards.
Some rice cookers have an extended “keep warm” setting where the temperature remains high enough to prevent the growth of bacteria, allowing you to start a batch in the morning and use it all day or even the next day if needed.
That doesn’t sound right to me.
Rice is serious business in our house.
All rice cookers will switch to a “keep warm” setting after the normal cooking cycle.
I don’t think it’s hot enough to prevent the growth of bacteria, although I’m not sure about that.
It is hot enough for the rice to start to dry out. After a few hours it would be “tough” instead of “soft and fluffy”. After 24 hours it would be inedible.
As I said we just leave it at room temperature in the rice cooker and heat it up in the microwave as necessary. The texture and taste and… toxicity I guess, is fine for 36 hours. So if you cook it this morning then use it all before tomorrow evening.