# Leaving Food Out Overnight **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 18, 2024, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986 "2024-03-18T13:40:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/21 "2024-03-18T18:57:54Z")
The problem is that it partially cooks the meat. And honestly, of you plan to stew the meat, it’s probably fine. But if you want some other method, You’ve partially streamed your meat. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/22 "2024-03-18T19:13:48Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The problem is that it partially cooks the meat. And honestly, of you plan to stew the meat, it’s probably fine. But if you want some other method, You’ve partially streamed your meat . Microwaves vary a lot. I’ve had devices in the past that did a poor job on the automatic defrost setting – mainly in the meat getting too cooked before the defrosting process completes. However, our current microwave (nothing fancy, but a recent model) defrosts ever so gently. Takes a while, but a lot faster than overnight. I will agree that if defrosting ground beef for, say, hamburger patties, microwave defrosting is not ideal. I’ve defrosted chicken breasts in the microwave intended to make breaded chicken fingers – invariably, I’ll have to trim off cooked edges here and there. The tenders still come out all right, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/23 "2024-03-18T19:38:15Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > You’ve partially streamed your meat. I assume you need a special app for that. mmm ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/24 "2024-03-18T19:39:10Z")
Inverter microwaves have a continuous power range (probably not the right wording) as opposed to a conventional microwave which decreases power by turning the magnetron off and on to approximate, say, 50% power. My inverter microwave is much better than my last, non-inverter one at defrosting without cooking. There is a real 50% power setting, rather than a mixture of 100% and 0% that averages out to 50% power. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/25 "2024-03-18T19:41:41Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Dude just throw it out. The risk of getting sick is not worth the couple bucks worth of whatever it is. Counter point: Dude just heat it through and eat it. You’ll be fine! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/26 "2024-03-18T19:47:53Z")
The odds are he _will_ be perfectly fine if he eats it. I am just saying that the drawbacks to the small chance of getting food poisoning are **waaaaaaay** worse than wasting the few dollars the food cost. And now hearing that he didn’t even pay for it, it’s a no-brainer. If you have to question if food has spoiled, just toss it! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/27 "2024-03-18T20:03:16Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Counter point: > > Dude just heat it through and eat it. You’ll be fine! That’s terrible advice. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/28 "2024-03-18T20:04:10Z")
I generally peer at it and sniff it and taste it, and if it passes those tests, i eat it, possibly reheating it, first. No, you can’t taste some of the common pathogens. But you can taste the results of a lot of the other, harmless buggies that thrive in the same conditions. Anyway, everyone has different risk tolerances, and if it’s just for you, you can take whatever risks you want. Fwiw, I’m also servsafe certified. And when i cook at the temple’s kitchen, for strangers who have no choice as to what i do, i follow the FDA rules scrupulously. But i don’t do that in my home, unless I’m cooking for a potluck or something. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/29 "2024-03-18T21:41:28Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > That’s terrible advice. Its really not. If food was frozen at the start of day one and defrosted and safe to eat at the end of day one (presumably without heating through, its not clear from the OP, I mean if you are reheating it anyway, why not do that from frozen?), its is almost certainly safe to eat in the morning after heating through in the morning of day two. Yeah there is a small risk that you fail to reach a high enough temperature to kill everything or a dangerous chemical has been produced by microbes overnight. and reheating will kill the microbes but not the chemical. But as risks go its a pretty small one. If it really bugs you (as it does me) to throw out food, I’d say it’s a reasonable risk to take. Of course others may feel differently, of wasting food doesn’t bother you, but the idea of eating food that might have spoiled if horrific, then yeah throw it out. Also if you are immunocompromised or otherwise medically fragile then the it looks very different (similarly if you are in the tropics and your kitchen never drops below 90F overnight) ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/30 "2024-03-18T22:18:24Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > and too many times I’m so tired (and full) that I just go right to bed. May I suggest that you train yourself not to do this. (I’ve managed to change my unwanted habits!) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/31 "2024-03-18T22:40:22Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Its really not Yes it is. > [@griffin1977](#): > > If food was frozen at the start of day one and defrosted and safe to eat The OP hasn’t even told us what it was yet. Would you give the same answer if he said it was a Vegetarian Lean Cuisine vs raw chicken or ground beef? Just to be fair, however, I’m considerably more lax about some of these rules at home, but I’ll always try to give the correct advice to others and generally try not to take an ‘it’ll be fine’ attitude to food safety, even if I may feel that way about a specific situation. In this specific situation, I don’t think it’s safe to tell the OP to go ahead and eat the mystery food he left out for a mystery amount of time at a mystery indoor/room temperature. Having said all that, if he’s the only one that’s going to eat it, then it’s entirely up to him. It’s simply not possible for us to have any real idea about the safety of the food based on the information provided. And even with all the details, we’re just guessing. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/32 "2024-03-18T23:46:19Z")
Am I understanding? Was this just one food item or everything in the fridge he was cleaning out? If it was everything you’ll have to go brutal and throw most of it out. Maybe butter and an unadulterated veggie or two, can be saved. If it was one particular item, was it cooked, any raw chicken involved or older when it was first frozen? It all matters. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/33 "2024-03-19T00:06:24Z")
Put the extra food away before you eat. If you want more afterwards, take it out of the fridge and microwave it (it won’t even be all that cold yet). Developing better habits will a) save you money, b) save you the grief of wasting money because you fell asleep with food in the microwave, and c) save you the grief of worrying about food poisoning and the far greater potential grief of actually getting it. This is clearly a cause of stress in your life, but this narrow set of issues is also an easy fix that’s 100% in your own hands. Bonus health points for you if you start eating a little earlier in the evening. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/34 "2024-03-19T00:30:23Z")
Set your phone to remind you with a notification. It works for lots of little things you need to remember to do. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/35 "2024-03-19T00:33:41Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > If you want more afterwards, take it out of the fridge and microwave it (it won’t even be all that cold yet). Now that’s horrible advice. Not for food safety, it’s fine for food safety. But for food quality. Lots of food deteriorates in quality when you reheat it, especially dry meat. (Meat covered in broth fares better. Probably, oxidation is the major quality issue for reheated meat.) But also many items with delicate structure, like cheese. Just train yourself to put anything you’ve left out into the fridge before you go to bed, and you will enormously reduce the amount of food you waste due to “out too long/spoiled/risky/quality deteriorated”. Is his food unsafe? None of it would pass muster for a commercial kitchen. If it’s pizza and his kitchen is 65F at night, I’d eat it without a second thought. If it’s raw hamburger, and his kitchen is 80F at night, I’d toss it, being careful not to smell it. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ll always try to give the correct advice to others and generally try not to take an ‘it’ll be fine’ attitude to food safety, even if I may feel that way I don’t think it’s especially helpful to quote rules that almost no one follows with no context. It leads to people not trusting your information. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/36 "2024-03-19T00:34:23Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Set your phone to remind you with a notification. It works for lots of little things you need to remember to do. This is great advice, though. Doing this has revolutionized my life. I’m even usually on time for stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/37 "2024-03-19T00:35:39Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Now that’s horrible advice. Not for food safety, it’s fine for food safety. But for food quality. Based on the information the OP has shared, food quality is currently secondary to developing habits that keep him from wasting money. If he’s literally staggering into bed and falling asleep immediately after eating, he’s gonna have to deal with the food before he eats. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/38 "2024-03-19T00:37:49Z")
Fair enough. I think shoving food into the fridge is easy enough to teach yourself to do it, even when tired. But maybe I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/39 "2024-03-19T01:46:30Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Would you give the same answer if he said it was a Vegetarian Lean Cuisine vs raw chicken or ground beef? Yeah totally. More so for raw meat. I mean he is saying (by his standards) it is safe to eat on the evening of the first day, having been left out to defrost all day, whatever it is and whatever that preparation involves (possibly no preparation at all). The extra night followed by heating thoroughly all the way through does not add massively to the risk of eating the food. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2024, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986/40 "2024-03-19T03:47:09Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Set your phone to remind you with a notification. It works for lots of little things you need to remember to do. THIS! I’ve had a terrible memory all my life, and if I didn’t set things on my phone’s Calendar app (with a reminder that buzzes/vibrates), I’d be screwing up left and right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-food-out-overnight/998986.md?page=3)