# food science question. Help! **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 6, 2001, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-science-question-help/91717 "2001-11-06T02:55:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![porkchop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ea666f/32.png) [@porkchop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porkchop)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-science-question-help/91717/1 "2001-11-06T02:55:24Z")
Can someone settle an argument between my wife and me? She says she has read that food bacteria can begin so quickly that one should not allow a large pot of, say, soup, to cool down in a refrigerator. Supposedly, the soup stays warm long enough that bacteria can begin to grow before it cools down. I say no way because when you start with freshly boiled soup it is basically sterile and the time it takes to cool down will not allow for any kind of nasty growth. Any food science people out there? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-science-question-help/91717/2 "2001-11-06T03:02:45Z")
Hey pal, repost this over in [General Questions](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=3) or email a mod and ask ‘em to move it for ya’. Welcome to the board. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-science-question-help/91717/3 "2001-11-06T03:04:23Z")
P.S. I’m with you on this one - stick it in the fridge, it’ll be OK. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-science-question-help/91717/4 "2001-11-06T03:30:24Z")
Don’t re-post unless a mod gives you permission _first_. In the meanwhile, I’ve read (Reader’s Digest, I think) that one should separate the food into shallower dishes, so it’ll cool more quickly, and put it into the fridge. Of course, one must also ask how much one cares about the risks. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-science-question-help/91717/5 "2001-11-06T03:48:04Z")
What Chronos said. I’m a microbiologist, currently taking a food micro class, for what it’s worth. In a commercial setting, where you’re serving a lot of food to a lot of people, the rule is that you store food in large shallow containers, so there’s a large surface area to volume ratio, so that it cools quickly. This avoids the problem your wife mentioned. Boiling your soup is not going to kill everything. Botulism spores, for instance, are actually activated by boiling. If you give them time to grow, they’ll produce toxins and make you sick. If they’re there in the first place. But in a home setting, is it really a big enough risk to worry about? Eh. Maybe, maybe not. I’d say put it in smaller containers if you’ve got them, but if not, don’t lose any sleep over it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2001, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-science-question-help/91717/6 "2001-11-06T05:18:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by \*\*\*Ringo \*\* > Hey pal, repost this over in [General Questions](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=3) or email a mod and ask ‘em to move it for ya’. > > Welcome to the board. Next time please _don’t_ repost unless a mod or admin asks you to. Usually, we will move it. If the board is slow, we may ask you to repost. E-mail a mod or admin. Let us handle it. I’m closing this one **DrMatrix** - SDMB Moderator