# Is it safe to eat food that was outside all night? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 23, 2017, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921 "2017-01-23T04:36:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/21 "2017-01-23T14:05:01Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I think we all assumed it was covered at least from the moment it was forgotten, because yes, if the thing was open all night with birds, bats and insects shitting into it, I imagine anyone would just summarily decide it wasn’t even worth asking if it might be OK. > > **The question is actually: how long was it uncovered?** If it was uncovered for a couple of hours while it was cooling down, then the risk is higher than if it was only opened while it was piping hot. Remember, the soup had to cool to eating temps while having a germ laden(mouth to bowl) spoon repeatedly dunked in it. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/22 "2017-01-23T14:28:40Z")
> [@MoonMoon](#): > > I guess I don’t understand why anyone would ever risk it. It’s not the last bowl of wonton soup in the world. Just go buy a new one. This is how I feel. It’s not worth risking it over something inexpensive and easy to get. This has the extra benefit of giving you an excuse to go back to your favorite restaurant. Full disclosure, I had a nasty bout of food poisoning about 15 years ago and I’ve been overcautious about spoiled food ever since. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/23 "2017-01-23T14:32:45Z")
What do you think the temperature is in your refrigerator? Before electric fridges, people kept food for days in an ice box, which was typically in the 50s inside. Before that, they kept food all summer in a cellar, where temperatures are typically about 50 where they are insulated by a trap door from atmospheric temperature. Enjoy your soup, and stop worrying about it. I’ve been eating leftovers for decades that I forget and leave on the stove overnight, at 70. Probably almost every week. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/24 "2017-01-23T14:53:46Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Remember, the soup had to cool to eating temps while having a germ laden(mouth to bowl) spoon repeatedly dunked in it. Sure, but the individual bowls that you’re describing will have cooled fairly quickly, and will have been consumed soon after cooling. A big pot of soup cools more slowly and stays in the danger zone for longer. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/25 "2017-01-23T14:58:47Z")
I think food in general is safer than most people assume. I eat left out food all the time with no ill effects. Heck when I went to grade school I would leave my ham and mayonnaise sandwich in my un-air conditioned locker from 7 until 12:30 for years - this was in Texas, during the summer. At the temps you are reporting the soup is fine. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/26 "2017-01-23T15:44:21Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > What do you think the temperature is in your refrigerator? Before electric fridges, people kept food for days in an ice box, which was typically in the 50s inside. An icebox never reaches equilibrium? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/27 "2017-01-23T15:48:44Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Soup make a wonderful culture medium. Dump it. Yep. Why do you think it’s called The Primordial Soup-- that place where life originated. Go back to the restaurant and get a new order of soup. I’m sure it’s not very expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/28 "2017-01-23T16:45:55Z")
This thread is a bunch of people saying “Eat it!” then waiting to see if Anise ever posts again. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/29 "2017-01-23T16:52:16Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Heating doesn’t destroy any toxins that the bacteria created overnight. Another vote for dumping it. I wouldn’t take the chance. I’m not getting this. These bacteria were either already in the soup, or wafted in while it was sitting out on the porch. Temp on porch not much different from fridge, so the bacteria already there wouldn’t grow much faster. If porch was screened, so nothing worrisome was likely to fall into the soup, I’d eat it. If it was open, I’d be a bit more iffy about what might’ve gotten in there on the breeze. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/30 "2017-01-23T17:00:30Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > An icebox never reaches equilibrium? Not if you keep supplying it with ice. A man in a truck came around twice a week with blocks of ice. If you weren’t home, he’d go in the back door and put it in your ice box for you. The ice was cut from lakes in winter, and stored all summer covered with straw in an insulated warehouse ---
**Author:** ![stolatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@stolatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolatt)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/31 "2017-01-23T17:06:25Z")
I don’t gamble with food poisoning ever. I say go get another bowl of soup and avoid at least a day in the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/32 "2017-01-23T17:08:29Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > This thread is a bunch of people saying “Eat it!” then waiting to see if Anise ever posts again. 😃 Add we’re all still here, perfectly healthy. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/33 "2017-01-23T17:45:10Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > At 40 degrees soups should last up about 4 days in the fridge. You were only slightly above that for a few hours. I wouldn’t hesitate. Basically this. Left in a car and not on the table I would maybe worry slightly; a sunny series of hours and a car could have gotten up to 50 or more and I would worry slightly but probably still eat it. With what you describe though, no problem. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/34 "2017-01-23T17:57:39Z")
I think ultimately it’s about your personal intestinal fortitude. People with iron guts, who rarely get stomach issues, are saying, go for it! Those of more delicate constitutions are weighing the potential discomfort it could cause and suggesting, it won’t be worth it. Of course, only the OP knows how her system is most likely to respond! ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/35 "2017-01-23T18:24:04Z")
I side with **elbows** on this. I must say, here in the Yucatan, food, (turkey, frijol con puerco, basically everything) is always left out overnight. Temperatures are in the 80’s°F. No one ever gets sick. A lot of families don’t even have a refrigerator. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/36 "2017-01-23T18:46:36Z")
We had a chili cook off one year. We prepared the chili the day before and someone in charge left it out. temps in the 70’s to 80’s. 24 hours later the chili had completely spoiled and was bubbling on its own. 40 degrees is the magic number usually used and I would almost bet there are a couple of degrees safety margin built into that. ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/37 "2017-01-23T20:52:49Z")
In general I’d say it depends on how likely the food was to have gotten contaminated, to what extent, and how fast it cooled. If you’re talking unopened soup in a container that cooled off quickly and sat cold all night, no problem. If the soup was double dipped by a bunch of people and/or had kids sneezing in it and was reheated a few times during supper, that’s different. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/38 "2017-01-23T22:39:22Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > We had a chili cook off one year. We prepared the chili the day before and someone in charge left it out. temps in the 70’s to 80’s. 24 hours later the chili had completely spoiled and was bubbling on its own. My dad once made a pot roast that he forgot to put in the fridge, and left it in the turned-off oven. 12 hours later it was bubbling on its own. ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/39 "2017-01-23T22:53:04Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > My dad once made a pot roast that he forgot to put in the fridge, and left it in the turned-off oven. 12 hours later it was bubbling on its own. The reason for the fast spoiling of the roast and the chilli was probably because of the extended times they sat in a nice warm environment before cooling to room temperature. Bacterial growth on food (the types we care about at least) is fastest just below body temperature; the longer it sits in this zone the worse it is. I think a chilli cook-off would involve large batches (rather than a few small bowls), and big pots of stew/soup/chilli hold their heat a loooong time. Similarly, an oven being insulated will hold heat for a long time after you turn it off. Both those situations would provide conditions similar to those found in incubators made specifically to allow bacteria to reproduce at optimal speed. About the only way to make conditions any better for spoilage would have been to profusely seed/contaminate the food and keep the temperature constant. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921/40 "2017-01-23T23:00:55Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I’m not getting this. These bacteria were either already in the soup, or wafted in while it was sitting out on the porch. > > Temp on porch not much different from fridge, so the bacteria already there wouldn’t grow much faster. If porch was screened, so nothing worrisome was likely to fall into the soup, I’d eat it. If it was open, I’d be a bit more iffy about what might’ve gotten in there on the breeze. Correct. Bacteria are everywhere - on the hands and utensils of the people preparing and consuming the soup - on all surfaces, in soil, airborne, and even in lightly-cooked foods (often in spore form) - and as their population growth is exponential, the only things that really matter are temperature and time (the soup contains the other two factors - food and moisture). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-safe-to-eat-food-that-was-outside-all-night/777921.md?page=3)