# Food left out for ten hours. :( What can I salvage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 15, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879 "2009-06-15T21:53:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/21 "2009-06-16T17:44:22Z")
OK, well, I ate a serving. Almost 12 hours later, I’m feeling fine. However, the sauce tasted a little sharper, spice-wise, than I thought it should (among other things that may or may not be my imagination, or perhaps due to the simmering and not adding enough water), so I may not eat the rest of the sauce for quality reasons. But there’s still the plain pasta. That has to be pretty safe, right? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/22 "2009-06-16T21:06:59Z")
In my days as a microbiologist, I once applied for a QC job at a tomato paste factory in the Central Valley. Would have been very boring, generally only two contaminants would grow because of the acidity, grew very slowly and were not disease producing. I have left tomato-based sauce out overnight many times with no issues - so bottom line is enjoy… ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/23 "2009-06-16T23:40:53Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > In my days as a microbiologist, I once applied for a QC job at a tomato paste factory in the Central Valley. > > Would have been very boring, generally only two contaminants would grow because of the acidity, grew very slowly and were not disease producing. Reminds me of my days testing nutritional supplements, including cranberry capsules. Cranberry, for those who don’t know, is so acidic that it’s a fairly effective antimicrobial. My boss got bored one time and spiked a cranberry solution with tons of E. coli, and still couldn’t get anything to grow. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/24 "2009-06-17T00:21:10Z")
Pasta is FLOUR and WATER. Like BREAD. ---
**Author:** ![mwtzzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@mwtzzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mwtzzz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/25 "2020-04-17T22:49:17Z")
Ever since we were kids how many times have we eaten things we left out overnight, pizza, sandwiches, etc? Many times without ever getting sick. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/26 "2020-04-17T23:22:29Z")
OP? I probably wouldn’t eat it now. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/27 "2020-04-17T23:40:24Z")
By now, it would probably be long time, destroyed by bacteria and mold if it hadn’t already been consumed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![stolatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@stolatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolatt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/28 "2020-04-18T01:58:55Z")
I don’t roll the dice on spoiled food. One bathroom, three people and a round of food poisoning would go incredibly poorly. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/29 "2020-04-18T03:19:44Z")
If the pasta feels slippery, toss it back in boiling water for a few seconds and re-drain. In fact, that’s all you need to do anyway, to reheat it. Eat everything until your senses tell you it’s bad – sight, smell, taste, common. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879/30 "2020-04-19T01:19:36Z")
Ah, memories of one of my [earlier posts](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=70666) in the post Quantum Link era. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-left-out-for-ten-hours-what-can-i-salvage/499879.md?page=1)