# Safe to eat - cold lasagna left out all day **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811 "2013-02-19T17:24:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/21 "2013-02-19T19:41:33Z")
If you had left out a huge tray of lasagne that you were going to serve to large numbers of the public, potentially including the elderly and immunocompromised, I’d throw it out. That’s the kind of scenario most health regulations are thinking of. If I’d left out a plate with a single serving and wanted a snack for myself later, I’d eat it without a second thought. And I have a degree in microbiology, for what that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/22 "2013-02-19T19:41:56Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > FYI: I ate it. > > It was about 90 minutes ago. I was hungry and lazy so I didn’t feel like walking down to the cafeteria for something else. I’m generally pretty hardy when it comes to food. I nuked it good and it tasted fine. I feel normal. Muahahahahahah! Our scheme has come to fruition! Soon, very soon, you will curse our mothers’ eyes between tortured cries, bemoaning the hell that your intestines have become! ---
**Author:** ![emacknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/23 "2013-02-19T19:59:07Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > If you had left out a huge tray of lasagne that you were going to serve to large numbers of the public, potentially including the elderly and immunocompromised, I’d throw it out. That’s the kind of scenario most health regulations are thinking of. > > If I’d left out a plate with a single serving and wanted a snack for myself later, I’d eat it without a second thought. > > And I have a degree in microbiology, for what that’s worth. Keep in mind what information you were given, and what you don’t know. What’s to say the lasagna was cooked/prepared properly to start with? You don’t know how quickly it was cooled the first time. He said it was refrigerated, but at what temperature? We don’t know what the room temp was it was sitting at. And what’s to say he’ll heat it thoroughly before eating it? Those are all critical control points. Also keep in mind that the health department has an entirely separate set of rules for microwaving food that might not have been covered in your microbiology program. Then again, I’ve always had my doubts that the health department knows anything about microbiology. > [@DCnDC](#): > > I feel normal. For now… > [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Muahahahahahah! Our scheme has come to fruition! Soon, very soon, you will curse our mothers’ eyes between tortured cries, bemoaning the hell that your intestines have become! There is a joke in all this about UHC and personal responsibility. And even if it doesn’t make him vomit out both ends, if he doesn’t wash his hands he has the potential to spread it to everyone around him. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/24 "2013-02-19T20:01:17Z")
> [@emacknight](#): > > There is a joke in all this about UHC and personal responsibility. And even if it doesn’t make him vomit out both ends, if he doesn’t wash his hands he has the potential to spread it to everyone around him. Yum. That’s ok with me; I’m not around him. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/25 "2013-02-19T20:06:36Z")
> [@emacknight](#): > > There is a joke in all this about UHC and personal responsibility. And even if it doesn’t make him vomit out both ends, if he doesn’t wash his hands he has the potential to spread it to everyone around him. Yum. Jesus. Do you live in Purell coated bubble? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/26 "2013-02-19T20:16:26Z")
Hey, a few hours ago I devoured some lunchmeat I’d inadvertently left lying on my kitchen table. It was cured, so I just steamed it with some Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce and used it to make sandwiches. I’m not dead yet! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![emacknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/27 "2013-02-19T20:25:56Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Jesus. Do you live in Purell coated bubble? Ha, no. But I do have seven years of experience in the food service industry, mostly feeding the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. And while our facility and procedures are great, we struggle with teaching people to eat safely at home. The scenario you described happens pretty frequently. So how’s your tummy feeling? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/28 "2013-02-19T20:32:21Z")
> [@emacknight](#): > > Ha, no. But I do have seven years of experience in the food service industry, mostly feeding the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. > > And while our facility and procedures are great, we struggle with teaching people to eat safely at home. The scenario you described happens pretty frequently. > > So how’s your tummy feeling? Fair enough. 🙂 I’m still young and hardy. Were I a more advanced age and in poor health, I’d probably have gotten something else to eat. I’m still good, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/29 "2013-02-19T20:38:27Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Muahahahahahah! Our scheme has come to fruition! Soon, very soon, you will curse our mothers’ eyes between tortured cries, bemoaning the hell that your intestines have become! User name/post combo–perfect. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/30 "2013-02-19T20:40:18Z")
Just today I sent lasagna leftovers to work with my husband. They came out of the fridge at 8 and he probably ate around 1. I know he just leaves his lunch bag in his man purse until he eats. It never occurred to me to worry about that. Great, another thing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/31 "2013-02-20T00:09:15Z")
I’m glad I’m not the only one who routinely eats leftover pizza that’s been sitting out overnight. The only reason I don’t eat it 2-days-later is that it’s usually gone by then. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/32 "2013-02-20T00:11:00Z")
6 hours later… I’m fine. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/33 "2013-02-20T00:25:43Z")
I might be concerned if it contained ricotta cheese because that’s a pretty good medium for raising microbes, but I’d eat it. Plasticized mozzarella, acidic tomato sauce, and pizza crust (AKA: bread) left out all night then tossed in a Baggie for an unrefrigerated lunch should be perfectly safe, even for Grandma, though I’d think twice if there was sausage on top. But not a third time, especially if it’s pepperoni because that shit’s rotted and salted into being a non-food item already. And how is Grandma supposed to rebuild her immune system if she doesn’t challenge it now and then? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/34 "2013-02-20T01:05:17Z")
> [@emacknight](#): > > “So I was going to use a condom, then I said to myself, when is the next time I’m going to be in Haiti?” > > Interesting to see so many people encouraging a stranger on the internet to potentially poison himself. I’ve started threads like this in the past. The vast majority of the time, I was told to go ahead and eat it. This board’s users are quite schizophrenic when it comes to “eat or not” questions. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/35 "2013-02-20T01:22:51Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > It’s probably fine, especially if you heat it up so it’s really super hot for a minute or two before you eat it. The “if you nuke it until it boils” rationale fails fact test. Heat may kill pathogenic bacteria and viruses but it will not kill the toxic byproducts (exotoxins) that is the actual cuase of many foodborne illnesses, and the unevenness of heating of many microwave ovens makes even the elimination of pathogens uncertain. Also, the mildly acidic environment of tomato sauce is no issue for most pathogens, and between the high sugar content of the sauce and the ricotta cheese it makes a very good bacterial culture environment. Of course, if you have a relatively healthy immune system you can probably cope, but even in a healthy adult toxins and pathogenic bacteria can result in increased intestinal wall permiability and resulting digestion problems and inflammation. 50 °F is marginal for bacterial growth, but depending on the initial population it could be warm enough for certain pathogenic organisms to thrive. There is increasing evidence that even low level foodborne illness may have detrimental and systemic long term effects, so frankly I wouldn’t risk it. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/36 "2013-02-20T02:29:15Z")
I would have eaten it. I work 10 hour shifts and often don’t get to eat until well toward the end of my shift. My dinner sits in my bag at room temperature until I have time to eat it. Sometimes until I get back home. ---
**Author:** ![\_Olive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/4af34b/32.png) [@\_Olive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Olive)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/37 "2013-02-20T09:43:18Z")
I would have eaten it. I often leave food out on the counter because I don’t like to eat cold food. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/38 "2013-02-20T10:27:39Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I’ve started threads like this in the past. The vast majority of the time, I was told to go ahead and eat it. In juxtaposition with the “Haiti” post, this makes a pretty interesting comment! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/39 "2013-02-20T13:19:54Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > The “if you nuke it until it boils” rationale fails fact test. Heat may kill pathogenic bacteria and viruses but it will not kill the toxic byproducts (exotoxins) that is the actual cuase of many foodborne illnesses, and the unevenness of heating of many microwave ovens makes even the elimination of pathogens uncertain. You did notice I said it was “probably” safe after that, not for sure. Boiling it for a few minutes will kill a lot of critters - Salmonella, e. coli, and others are easily killed with heat. But yeah, the toxic byproducts are almost impossible to get rid of, which is why I said “probably.” There is no “for sure” when it comes to food safety - even stuff we generally regard as safe, like most vegetables, can be easily contaminated. But we humans have managed to eat without getting sick most of the time for a long time now, so overall we’re doing OK with the whole food safety issue. ---
**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:** [February 20, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811/40 "2013-02-20T13:32:34Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > 6 hours later… I’m fine. We haven’t heard from DC in a while. :eek: DC? DC? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-to-eat-cold-lasagna-left-out-all-day/650811.md?page=3)