# Please, tell me you can't do this! (Warm Refrigerator) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 12, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733 "2008-06-12T23:11:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/41 "2008-06-15T22:55:20Z")
“Viral video star”! Hee! “ **Bacterial video star** ” more like! ---
**Author:** ![mwbrooks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mwbrooks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mwbrooks)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/42 "2008-06-16T16:31:33Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] Of course not, kid. It’s where we keep the plans. [/QUOTE] Ha! Here we go from _planetoi_ (wanderers) to “plan,” which could be called the antithesis of wandering. Aren’t words fun? ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/43 "2008-06-16T17:23:56Z")
[QUOTE=lobotomyboy63] It’s possible…I haven’t talked to him in awhile. Why don’t they all get trichinosis? [/QUOTE] Hams are cured in a brine containing some combination of salt, sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, and/or saltpeter. In the US, saltpeter is not used anymore, but I would suspect it is still used in Europe just because it’s traditional. Curing preserves the meat very well, and the hams can be stored at ambient temp. Cloth bags keep the flies off, and mold can be scrubbed off. ---
**Author:** ![GRobLewis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5e925/32.png) [@GRobLewis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GRobLewis)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/44 "2017-10-05T18:46:33Z")
In France, I read that game birds are hung on a fence and not eaten until they are sufficiently “ripe” that the limb joints fall apart. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2017, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/45 "2017-10-05T18:58:35Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > You no longer have a refrigerator. You have a humidor. > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Oooh, they could start curing Italian salumi. 😉 Or store baseballs in it if they live at a Coors Field-level of altitude. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/46 "2017-10-05T19:18:28Z")
A broken fridge won’t stop a zombie from rotting. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/47 "2017-10-05T20:02:03Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > A broken fridge won’t stop a zombie from rotting. Me, I’m curious if that meat is still in that fridge, nine years later. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/48 "2017-10-05T20:52:14Z")
> [@GRobLewis](#): > > In France, I read that game birds are hung on a fence and not eaten until they are sufficiently “ripe” that the limb joints fall apart. Ther’s an episode in Clavell’s \*Shogun \*where he shoots a bird; then hangs it to age (ambient temp.) Then he forgets about it and (spoiler) feels really bad about the housekeeper who takes the reeking carcass and throws it away, then commits suicide for possibly offending the foreign devil’s wishes. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/49 "2017-10-06T00:50:12Z")
Now I’m curious as to whether or not roommate got sick. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/50 "2017-10-06T04:27:15Z")
I would also like to know the fate of the roommate and the meat. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/51 "2017-10-06T09:13:26Z")
This is a pretty extreme case (two weeks seems a bit excessive, I would not risk it) but my question in all cases like this is what is actual risk, if the meat is properly cooked before eating? (completely cooked through, such that entire volume gets hot enough to kill all microbes) Yes, you can get “true” food poisoning in cases like this (where microbes produce dangerous chemicals that won’t be killed by heating), and these situations can be very dangerous or fatal. But does anyone have any cites that estimate the risk of “true” food poisoning in fully cooked meat? Anecdotally I don’t think I’ve ever encountered it (as in all the cases I’ve encountered personally there has been an obvious culprit of something that was under cooked, or not cooked after being left out in warm temperatures) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/52 "2017-10-06T14:39:30Z")
We’ve been waiting 9 years. Don’t leave us hanging. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/53 "2017-10-06T17:44:12Z")
During the “Tunagate” (seriously) arguments in Canada in parliament back in the 80’s, the minister of Fisheries challenged the opposition to repeat outside parliament their claim that he was endangering the health of Canadians. (Anything said inside parliament receives immunity from slander lawsuits) At issue - the New Brunswick tuna processing plants were complaining the fisheries inspectors were rejecting tuna for canning based solely on a “smell test”; and rejecting too much of the product. The officials in Ottawa orders the inspectors to back down. Funny, the god-awful smelling tuna could not be sold, so the department of defense bought it to feed to soldiers. Presumably they threw it out. The news commentators, talking about that “say it outside parliament” mentioned that you could consume fecal matter should you so desire once it had been through the process of heating it to sterilize it for canning. Just because it tasted like \*\*\*\* does not mean it was “endangering the health of Canadians”. So Griffin, yes - if cooked sufficiently well, feces, rotten meat, anything previously edible is safe to eat even if rotten. (Obviously if it contains something like arsenic, heat won’t help.) Remember one of the prime reasons for the high demand for spices (which drove the age of exploration) was that strong spices helped hide the taste of meat starting to go bad in the ages before refrigeration. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/54 "2017-10-06T18:05:07Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > During the “Tunagate” (seriously) arguments in Canada in parliament back in the 80’s, the minister of Fisheries challenged the opposition to repeat outside parliament their claim that he was endangering the health of Canadians. (Anything said inside parliament receives immunity from slander lawsuits) At issue - the New Brunswick tuna processing plants were complaining the fisheries inspectors were rejecting tuna for canning based solely on a “smell test”; and rejecting too much of the product. The officials in Ottawa orders the inspectors to back down. Funny, the god-awful smelling tuna could not be sold, so the department of defense bought it to feed to soldiers. Presumably they threw it out. Though that is fish which is, well, a whole different kettle of fish 🙂 Fish will smell fishy and unpleasant long before it is rotten > [@md2000](#): > > So Griffin, yes - if cooked sufficiently well, feces, rotten meat, anything previously edible is safe to eat even if rotten. (Obviously if it contains something like arsenic, heat won’t help.) Well it’s not completely safe obviously. There are plenty of microbes that do produce poisonous toxins, and cooking won’t help you with those. But how safe is it exactly? My question is how likely is it that any given piece of meat actually has those microbes in it, in enough quantity to make you sick after cooking it. This seems like a fairly important question, and one that would be fairly easy to answer experimentally, but I’ve never heard of anyone doing it. > [@md2000](#): > > Remember one of the prime reasons for the high demand for spices (which drove the age of exploration) was that strong spices helped hide the taste of meat starting to go bad in the ages before refrigeration. This is debatable as spices were such a luxury item, anyone who could afford them could afford fresh meat (it’s a bit like saying people drive Bugatti Veron supercars as riding on Greyhound buses is slow and inconvenient, if you are in the market for a supercar you have long since passed the point of worrying about riding Greyhound) ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/55 "2017-10-06T18:35:09Z")
I’m assuming that by now brujaja has a new refrigerator, but I’m left wondering why, in the original thread, no one asked if it was a rental property, and if so, why the landlord hadn’t been contacted about replacing the fridge. IME, “roommate” situations usually involve rental properties. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2017, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/56 "2017-10-06T19:58:29Z")
Brujaja still posts on the board, if you guys really want the beef on the beef then maybe try a PM? ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2017, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/57 "2017-10-07T15:33:49Z")
_Where’s the beef?_ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733/58 "2017-10-07T20:11:30Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Living in a land without fridges, I’ve learn to become very lax about food safety. Meat is sold in the morning, you buy it before noon, and cook it in the evening. > > If you have too much, you deep fry it in small chunks, and those will keep for a few days. > > But yeah, you never ever keep it for weeks. Where is without refrigeration?😕 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-tell-me-you-cant-do-this-warm-refrigerator/452733.md?page=2)