# Left food out for a few days, still safe to eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 5, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949 "2018-01-05T23:22:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/1 "2018-01-05T23:22:26Z")
Accidentally left some chili in a sealed Tupperware container out on the counter for two days. If I freeze it, will it be ok to eat later? it’s really good chili and I so badly want to eat it. ---
**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 5, 2018, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/2 "2018-01-05T23:29:22Z")
There’s no way for us to tell from here. There’s not really any way to tell from where you are. I’d ditch it if I were you. And if anyone tells you that sniffing it is a reliable way to determine safety, they’re wrong, ETA: oh, and freezing it will make no difference (it certainly won’t undo anything that happened from leaving it warm too long) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2018, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/3 "2018-01-05T23:50:34Z")
If chili has been sitting a few days at room temperature, the fats in it will have at least gone rancid, and it is likely to be host to any number of bacterial colonies which may or may not cause some degree of gastroenteritis. At worst, it could be host to _Clostridium botulinum_ or associated bacteria in genus _Clostridium_, commonly found in the environment and which produces Botulinum toxin. This typically produces a foul odor but this isn’t universal, and even a tiny amount of toxin can be fatal or leave the victim with permanent neurological impariment. Dump the container, clean it thoroughly, and make more chili. It’s not worth the risk. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/4 "2018-01-06T00:00:05Z")
Toss it. ETA: Or you’ll be tossing it later. If you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/5 "2018-01-06T00:05:37Z")
I’d toss it out. The cumulative time that food should sit out at room temperature should not exceed four hours. You gone more than ten times past that. It could be harboring all kinds of nasty bacteria that will create toxins that’ll make you sick to your stomach. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/6 "2018-01-06T00:14:16Z")
The old maxim applies here: When in doubt, throw it out. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/7 "2018-01-06T03:54:30Z")
I’m just wondering if freezing it for a few days will kill all the bad bacteria in it. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/8 "2018-01-06T03:58:28Z")
I don’t belive freezing kills bacteria, but I know it won’t eliminate and toxins the bacteria might have created. Pitch it. GaryM ---
**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:** [January 6, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/9 "2018-01-06T05:14:25Z")
Don’t eat it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/10 "2018-01-06T05:20:40Z")
Discard it - and no, that does not mean feed it to your pets, either. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/11 "2018-01-06T05:21:42Z")
> [@Hi\_Neighbor](#): > > I’m just wondering if freezing it for a few days will kill all the bad bacteria in it. Repeated for emphasis: No. There’s a reason why nobody is telling you to go ahead and eat it. It’s bad. It’s risky. It’ll probably make you sick enough to send you to the hospital. **DO NOT EAT!** ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/12 "2018-01-06T07:30:20Z")
I would not eat it. But if one was going to chance it ( on the verge of starvation and no other available food, for example) you’d be better off heating it rather than freezing. Heat to boiling as quickly as you can, maybe in small batches, then let it all boil for a while. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/13 "2018-01-06T08:28:51Z")
Evaluate it using three basic senses: Sight, Smell, Common. ---
**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:** [January 6, 2018, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/14 "2018-01-06T13:31:30Z")
Personally, if it still looked good, and still smelled good, I would re-cook it, and then taste it cautiously, and if it tasted good I would eat it. By re-cook, I mean I would heat it to boiling and then keep it at a boil for at least 5 minutes, probably more, adding water if needed, and retiring to make sure everything is heated. (The chunkier the food, the longer I would heat it, to make sure the interior of the larger pieces got hot enough.) I am not a food scientist. But the Wikipedia article on botulism says that heating to 185F (85C) will deactivate botulism toxin in five minutes. It will also kill most of the bacteria that are directly harmful. There may be other risks I am overlooking. But this is what I routinely do with food that has sat for longer than I’m comfortable, but is still attractive enough that I want to eat it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/15 "2018-01-06T13:36:32Z")
Whatever you do, do not feed it to your dog. It is really odd that people do this. I’d rather be vomitting and having diarrhea (in a toilet) than dealing with a dog that doesn’t use a toilet. Throw it out. ---
**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:** [January 6, 2018, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/16 "2018-01-06T13:38:37Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Repeated for emphasis: No. There’s a reason why nobody is telling you to go ahead and eat it. It’s bad. It’s risky. It’ll probably make you sick enough to send you to the hospital. > > **DO NOT EAT!** Okay, this is false. There is certainly a non-trivial risk that it’s dangerous. But the odds it will send you to the hospital are way less than 50%. At least, I and my extended family often eat food that’s been sitting out longer than recommended, and none of us has ever been hospitalized for a food-borne illness. Heck, I’ve stopped my husband midway through eating leftovers because I saw mold on the meat. He was okay. I think it’s dangerous to exaggerate the risks, because that leads people to think, “well, I gave some to the dog, and he seems okay, so it must be safe”, or to just dismiss food safety warnings in general, because they ate similar food the last three times and were okay. I’m the cautious one in the family, (which makes me less cautious than most) and I would re-cook it. ---
**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:** [January 6, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/17 "2018-01-06T13:41:16Z")
Missed the edit window > [@puzzlegal](#): > > … and **stirring** to make sure everything is heated… ---
**Author:** ![BlueMerle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@BlueMerle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueMerle)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/18 "2018-01-06T13:46:15Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Heck, I’ve stopped my husband midway through eating leftovers because I saw mold on the meat. omg… ---
**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:** [January 6, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/19 "2018-01-06T14:29:08Z")
Yeah, he’s far sighted and has a poor sense of smell and taste. At least he asks me to check the food before he gives it to anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949/20 "2018-01-06T14:32:04Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The old maxim applies here: When in doubt, throw it out. My Health Inpector husband says this… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-food-out-for-a-few-days-still-safe-to-eat/805949.md?page=2)