# Taco Soup left out overnight.... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826 "2014-12-21T16:07:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![clmkkm8985](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@clmkkm8985](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clmkkm8985)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/1 "2014-12-21T16:07:12Z")
Here is the deal. I made a LARGE pot of taco soup last night complete with cooked ground beef, canned tomatoes, fresh carrots and celery, canned kidney beans, etc. at about 10:00 pm. Once assembled, I never heated to a boil. It was just warm. I left it on the stove and realized it around 8:30 am this morning. I have read several opinions and can’t definitively ascertain whether it is safe to eat or not. Can it be heated completely and be safe to eat? I have put it in the fridge and am not sure if I should A. Cool completely first, then B. Heat completely to 165 degrees. ??? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/2 "2014-12-21T16:15:24Z")
If it was no more than warm, it’s most likely no longer soup, it’s a culture. I would chuck it. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/3 "2014-12-21T16:30:32Z")
> [@clmkkm8985](#): > > Here is the deal. I made a LARGE pot of taco soup last night {…} Once assembled, I never heated to a boil. It was just warm. I left it on the stove and realized it around 8:30 am this morning. {…} How large? On the stove with the burner on or off? If the burner _was_ on, then the actual temperature the soup was at, is what really matters. A really large pot _might_ not have been in the danger zone for long, if at all. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/4 "2014-12-21T16:33:03Z")
I’m in the “if in doubt, chuck it out” camp. You might be OK if you cooked it properly. Or you might not, and food poisoning isn’t a risk I’d want to take, even for what sounds like really tasty soup. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/5 "2014-12-21T16:39:09Z")
If you like to gamble go ahead and eat the soup. On the up side you’ll have some soup. On the down side you might become very ill, but it’s unlikely you’ll die, you’ll just be wishing you died for a while. ---
**Author:** ![clmkkm8985](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@clmkkm8985](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clmkkm8985)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/6 "2014-12-21T16:56:31Z")
The pot is VERY large. Holding about 3 gallons of soup. I never originally heated the soup through. It was just warm. It sat on the stove overnight with no heat. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/7 "2014-12-21T17:34:08Z")
If you rally want to keep the soup I’d recommend heating it up to boiling in small batches, rapidly for each batch, and putting the batches in another pot as soon as they are hot. keep the combined pot also at a low boil for a little while, 30 mins or so, after it’s all in there. Then turn it down and let it simmer for a longer while, maybe an hour or two. What kills bacteria is either higher heat for a shorter time or lower heat (but high enough) for a longer time. This way you’d hit em with both. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/8 "2014-12-21T17:57:20Z")
I’d throw it. It might be OK, but do you really want to take the risk? Plus, I don’t think I’d enjoy eating it, I’d just be too worried about the critters I might be ingesting. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/9 "2014-12-21T18:17:13Z")
> [@Oly](#): > > If you rally want to keep the soup I’d recommend heating it up to boiling in small batches, rapidly for each batch, and putting the batches in another pot as soon as they are hot. keep the combined pot also at a low boil for a little while, 30 mins or so, after it’s all in there. Then turn it down and let it simmer for a longer while, maybe an hour or two. > > What kills bacteria is either higher heat for a shorter time or lower heat (but high enough) for a longer time. This way you’d hit em with both. I can’t vouch for whether or not this would work in this particular circumstance, but in general, boiling isn’t a cure-all: it may kill the bacteria, but not the toxins that they’ve produced. ---
**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:** [December 21, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/10 "2014-12-21T18:28:02Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I can’t vouch for whether or not this would work in this particular circumstance, but in general, boiling isn’t a cure-all: it may kill the bacteria, but not the toxins that they’ve produced. This is a good reason to chuck it out. The danger zone for bacteria is between 40° and 140° F. Food should not be left between these temperatures for more than four hours cumulative. Yours was left out for 10 1/2. Plenty of time for bacteria to make all kinds of nasty toxins which heating the soup will not neutralize. It could still be dangerous to eat it and you stand a very real risk of food poisoning. In the future, you should heat your soup to a temp of 165° and then put it in the refrigerator if you’re not going to eat it right away. Yeah, it’s a shame to waste three gallons of soup, but is it worth keeping when eating it could mean a very expensive trip to the ER? ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/11 "2014-12-21T18:29:56Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > If it was no more than warm, it’s most likely no longer soup, it’s a culture. I would chuck it. This this this. The soup was never sterile to begin with and is a delicious brew of fat and protein and starchy stuff any bacteria would love to call home. If you had it at a covered rolling boil 10+ minutes, then it sat covered, my answer _might_ be different. But you put ground beef in a barely warm broth, then let it sit all night at ~70F room temperature? No and _hell no_, son. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/12 "2014-12-21T18:34:58Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > This this this. > > The soup was never sterile to begin with and is a delicious brew of fat and protein and starchy stuff any bacteria would love to call home. > > If you had it at a covered rolling boil 10+ minutes, then it sat covered, my answer _might_ be different. But you put ground beef in a barely warm broth, then let it sit all night at ~70F room temperature? No and _hell no_, son. Does cooked ground beef still have a lot of dangerous bacteria in it? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/13 "2014-12-21T18:46:11Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > Does cooked ground beef still have a lot of dangerous bacteria in it? Define cooked. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/14 "2014-12-21T18:53:19Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Define cooked. Missed the edit window. Fresh ground beef that been properly processed and heated to 140F throughout for a short time would be safe to heat soon after cooking. But there will still be plenty of bacteria in it that can multiply rapidly below 140F. Holding at 140F (or even lower) for a sufficient time will pasteurize it and it will take a much longer time at lower temperatures for the bacteria population to increase to a dangerous level. However, unless you grind your own meat it’s going to be difficult to determine if it was properly processed in the first place. Ground beef is particularly problematic because bacteria that are normally only present on the exterior of the meat can be spread throughout it. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/15 "2014-12-21T21:17:56Z")
One more thing - in post #3, **crowmanyclouds** brings up the size of the pot. Maybe I’m missing something really obvious here, but what difference would this make? Also I hope that **clmkkm8985** keeps the board updated on what s/he did with the soup. Otherwise we’re left wondering, did s/he eat The Soup Of Death, and what happened? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/16 "2014-12-21T21:19:29Z")
‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ 😛 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/17 "2014-12-21T21:24:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ > > 😛 Or hurts real, real bad. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/18 "2014-12-21T21:24:50Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Or hurts real, real bad. Pain is Nature’s way of telling you you’re still alive! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/19 "2014-12-21T21:56:20Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > One more thing - in post #3, **crowmanyclouds** brings up the size of the pot. Maybe I’m missing something really obvious here, but what difference would this make? {…} The bigger the pot, the actual volume of soup, the longer it takes to cool down. Three gallons vs three quarts. (I’d also note that the shape of the pot matters too. The same volume of water takes longer to cool off in [this pan](http://www.google.com/search?q=three-quart+saute+pan&num=100&newwindow=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=HD-XVPfPI67IsASZ-YKIDQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg) than it does in [this pot](http://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=three-quart+stock+pot&oq=three-quart+stock+pot&gs_l=img.3...502.12486.0.13118.10.10.0.0.0.0.1299.2541.0j8j0j1j7-1.10.0.ehm_loc...0...1c.1.60.img..10.0.0.hPY37nvSzms) because of the surface area.) CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826/20 "2014-12-21T22:02:53Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > The bigger the pot, the actual volume of soup, the longer it takes to cool down. Three gallons vs three quarts. > > (I’d also note that the shape of the pot matters too. The same volume of water takes longer to cool off in [this pan](http://www.google.com/search?q=three-quart+saute+pan&num=100&newwindow=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=HD-XVPfPI67IsASZ-YKIDQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg) than it does in [this pot](http://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=three-quart+stock+pot&oq=three-quart+stock+pot&gs_l=img.3...502.12486.0.13118.10.10.0.0.0.0.1299.2541.0j8j0j1j7-1.10.0.ehm_loc...0...1c.1.60.img..10.0.0.hPY37nvSzms) because of the surface area.) > > CMC fnord! I suspected that cooling-off time was the rationale. Thanks. That said - it was over 8 hours. I think the time factor is negated after that amount of time, no? Still plenty enough time to grow lots of harmful critters [according to the CDC](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/How_Temperatures_Affect_Food.pdf) (.pdf) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taco-soup-left-out-overnight/707826.md?page=2)