If I have some food that accidently got left out and has started to turn I can just put it in the microwave, heat it up, and that will kill everything, right? Could I still get sick from it, or I am good to go?
Thanks.
NO, that will not “kill everything” and make you “good to go”. Some food poisoning organisms create toxins as they breed and multiply in that casserole, so microwaving the casserole may kill the bacteria but the toxins are still ready, willing, and able to give you the worst case of food poisoning trots since the time you went to Tijuana and ate in that cute little cantina…
Not to mention killing you, which botulism will.
Don’t take a chance. If it’s spoiled, it’s spoiled. Throw it away and resolve to clean out the fridge more often.
There’s another consideration; the radiation may cause the bacteria to mutate and evolve and pretty soon they’ll be demanding to borrow your car and you know they’ll just litter it with candy wrappers and bring it back empty.
Duck Duck Goose is right. Last year a Japanese dairy manufacturer Yuji-Jirusi (aka “Snow Brand”) made the same mistake and didn’t properly sterilize a tank in a processing facility. The tank was before the pasteurization stage, but the toxins made by the bacteria got through to the final product and caused food poisoning.