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.
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!
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.
For now…
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.
Jesus. Do you live in Purell coated bubble?
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! 
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.
User name/post combo–perfect.
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.
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. 
6 hours later… I’m fine.
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? 
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.
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
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.
I would have eaten it. I often leave food out on the counter because I don’t like to eat cold food.
In juxtaposition with the “Haiti” post, this makes a pretty interesting comment! 
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.
We haven’t heard from DC in a while. :eek:
DC?
DC?