I have seen several posts in the last days where americans have condemned leaving food out on the counter for several hours, saying that they will get food poisoning or gastritis.
Is that a thing that you always put your food in the fridge? I usually leave my leftovers covered on a plate on the counter until the next one or two days when I eat it and never had issues. I also leave my prepped meals to cool overnight outside before putting them away
44 comments
Just because you haven’t had issues yet doesn’t mean you won’t. And maybe you have had issues but attributed them to something else—food poisoning often doesn’t manifest until a day or two after eating. The fact is that the more time food spends in the “danger zone” of 4-60°C, the more opportunity it has to breed harmful bacteria. I have trouble believing this is an American concept.
Sounds like you’ve just gotten lucky. Leaving cooked/prepared/perishable food out at room temperature for more than 2 hours is dangerous and can lead to all kinds of bacteria growth.
There are certain risks in life we just don’t need to take. Keeping food safe to eat is one of them.
[https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety)
You don’t like refrigeration? It’s awesome.
If you’ve ever had severe food poisoning, and prayed for a quick death, this isn’t a real question.
Leftovers last longer in the fridge, and I for one get horrified by food waste.
Also bugs
Is this a joke?
My ex-husband trained in food safety for his job in the restaurant business, and I learned a lot from him. Bacteria begins growing in food almost immediately if it is left to sit out. Leaving it out on the counter for days puts you at high risk for food poisoning.
A commercial kitchen would be shut down if they did that. There are reasons behind food safety protocols; it’s so people don’t get sick.
It isn’t just Americans who are concerned about this, commercial kitchens worldwide follow the same safety practices, and individuals should as well.
Given your post history it looks like you’re from Northern Europe. It a lot warmer in much of the US for more of the year; most people even with air conditioning keep their houses around 20-25c, and stuff goes off pretty quickly at that temp. Like if I left pizza out overnight I’d def eat it in the morning, but generally I wouldn’t trust a meat dish left out much longer than that.
I live in Spain and my partner is Portuguese. Leaving food out seems common with people I meet here (roommates, etc.) and everyone is fine. I, however, can’t bring myself to do it. I have had food poisoning before and I would love to never have it again! Plus it’s summer — I don’t want bugs getting in there or food spoiling in the heat. The longest I leave stuff out is usually the time it takes me to eat and wash the dishes.
“Why are Americans O B S E S S E D with….*takes out giant wheel*…..refrigerating perishable goods….?”
​
What’s next? “HELLO AMERICANS. WHY IS IT THAT YOU DO NOT LICK EVERY LAMP POST YOU ENCOUNTER ON THE STREET? WHY DO YOU DENY YOURSELF ITS METALLIC PLEASURES? IS IT BECAUSE OF OBESITY?”
This isn’t an American thing, please use your fridge
In the UK too, leaving stuff out gives the bacteria the perfect environment to grow which can lead to food poisoning. A ‘standard’ bout of food poisoning is miserable but if you’re unlucky it can become really serious and land you in the hospital and in really severe cases result in death. For me it’s not worth the risk. It’s all fairly basic food hygeine which is really easy to access online, I was also taught it in school and my dad has trained and worked as a chef then in the food industry so I was brought up knowing it.
Bruh that’s everyone not just Americans
My wife is like op doesn’t understand food safety and always complaining about belly aches and having diarrhea. She’s a lot better these days but sometimes I’ll come home at 4am and find her lunch stored in the microwave
I see that you sometimes comment in German so I’m linking a German article about this (assuming you are German or from a German-speaking country). You should definitely be refrigerating your food once it has cooled down enough. Most Germans I know will also refrigerate their food after like 30 minutes of letting it cool. This might just be something you do or that you grew up doing thinking it was normal. I wouldn’t say it’s uniquely an American thing. I had roommates who thought you didn’t need to refrigerate haltbare Milch once it’s opened because that’s just how they learned – doesn’t mean it’s healthy or food safe.
“Die Zeit vor dem Kühlschrank
Das größte Problem ist jedoch die Zeit, die das Essen außerhalb des Kühlschranks verbringt. Bei Raumtemperatur vermehren sich Bakterien besonders schnell, im Sommer wirkt dieser Effekt noch stärker.
Nach dem Kochen – nicht nach dem Ende der Mahlzeit – **sollte das Essen maximal zwei Stunden stehen**, bevor es gekühlt wird. Je kürzer diese Zeit umso besser. Lebensmittel, die über Nacht auf dem Tisch standen, kann man nicht mehr verwenden. Dieser Prozess darf übrigens nicht mehrmals hintereinander stattfinden. Essen kann nur einmal wieder aufgewärmt werden. Bei großen Mengen an Überbleibseln sollten diese nur portionsweise wieder erwärmt werden.
https://www.stern.de/amp/digital/technik/wann-werden-essensreste-im-kuehlschrank-schlecht–7418746.html
I stayed in the Philippines and people left food out overnight under a basket. It grossed me out, having worked in the food industry and just used to the general American protocol of putting food away within an hour or two. However, they also usually had it for breakfast or lunch. At least one of the posts you’re referencing, the person ate the food for a whole week! That’s a disaster waiting to happen.
Why not put them in the fridge? I have no desire to chance getting food poisoning
I see this generally not just Americans. People leaving items out (often accidentally) and are seeking reassurance that it will be OK. To which you get a range of people who say they throw anything that has been out for 5 minutes, or who would risk it if it was out all day.
Leaving food at room temperature can cause bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter) to grow to dangerous levels that can cause illness. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the “Danger Zone.”
This is true in all places, not just America.
If it’s perishable, then I am concerned about leaving food on the counter. We are concerned about food poisoning, which is far more likely if certain foods are not refrigerated. I could leave certain pies and cakes out for up to two days, but most things that I prepare are not suitable for being left out after being cooked.
Things like rice, dairy, eggs, and meat will absolutely breed bacteria and spoil if left out for a long time.
Leaving out leftovers for multiple days sounds horrifying. I’ve had food poisoning before, and I definitely don’t wish to get it again.
OP should try out the overnight thingy with some homemade potato salad and leftover crab legs
Why would you not put your food in the fridge? I don’t get it. What’s the point of leaving it out?
Reasoning for keeping it cool is that bacteria grow more readily on warm media.
>I usually leave my leftovers Cover on a plate on the counter until the next one or two days
Tick, tick, tick, man. you’re counting down to some serious shit, literally. some day your ass is gonna explode. If the food is gonna be above 40F for more than 2 hours, put it in the fridge.
I see this post and I’m reminded of the time I was out of country visiting the in-laws and I was casually shown their large drawer full of medicines to treat all sorts of intestinal issues.
Also the time they came to visit us in the US and gifted us some bottle of pills for “killing the worms.”
They also have a habit of leaving food on the counter for hours.
I have a cat so I’m not leaving food at for that reason alone. Other than that it’s summer so there’s bugs and I would never leave something out when I have a refrigerator lol.
Why would I leave my food out for hours or days risking food poisoning, growing mold, attracting pests or taking up my limited counter space when I have a refrigerator and freezer? I don’t see any advantage to leaving leftovers out.
Historical research into food safety prior to industrialization and refrigeration has shown that people got sick all.the.time and just didn’t register it as being ill because they were so used to it. If you really leave food to rot on the counter for 1-2 days, there’s virtually no way you haven’t been made ill by that. It’s just that you probably mistake that as normal.
Are you like an 18 year old college student who gets home piss drunk at 3am and leaves food out before passing out or something? Americans in this situation leave food out too.
Or are you from a poor country where you don’t have refrigerators? Or have really small refrigerators? In that case, wouldn’t you still need a place for food to go so bugs don’t get at it?
From some other ask an American question, I know that Europeans come to America to replenish their wardrobes with, for example, $7000 costs.
But you can’t afford a REFRIGERATOR?
Proper refrigeration has probably saved more lives in the past hundred years than all the doctors and hospitals in the world.
I’m reminded of the thread where some guy claimed American food was inferior because he ate raw chicken in the EU and didn’t get sick and then ate raw chicken in the US and got sick.
Foodborne illness isn’t some magical foreign concept, its a well understood science and practiced all over the world. Don’t blame us for your own shitty life choices.
Remind me not to eat anything at your house. People are straight up fools regarding food safety.
One of my relatives is very loose about food safety in her house. They’ll eat things that have been left out for *hours*. Her kids get a lot of “stomach bugs.” Go figure.
To avoid ants and food poisoning
That’s why
Have you never Google’d “Food Safety”? Food borne pathogens aren’t exclusive to the US….they exist just the same in your country too.
Leaving food in the “danger zone” with regards to temperature for more than 2 hours tremendously increases your risk of infection by food-bourne pathogens. All leftovers should go in the fridge right after dinner.
My wife was working on her masters in Food Science, and has since become very strict about this. Even the leftovers in the fridge rarely stand a chance of getting served as a meal.
Leaving prepped meals and leftovers out *overnight* sounds extremely unsanitary to me. This isn’t a new thing, this type of food safety has been taught since the 1980’s at least. I remember learning the two hour rule in my 7th grade home economics class.
My mother, who grew up in rural South Carolina, grew up without air conditioning and treated food like that. She still insists it’s fine- although she doesn’t do it anymore- she says people are just weak now (if they get sick) or it’s something unrelated (like the flu).
They would cook meats like fried chicken or catfish and just cover them with a lid or foil on the stove until they had dinner the next day. Same with other leftovers. With the extreme heat and humidity there, I am shocked that she doesn’t anyone recall being sick often.
(My guess is they could have been sick often as small kids – when they were most vulnerable – and just don’t remember that part as they aged.)
What meals are you eating? If it has meat, dairy, fruits, or vegetables, they’ll spoil very quickly if unrefrigerated. A couple hours is okay…but if you want to eat it the next day, it should be put in the fridge.
This is just a common sanitary practice. Refrigeration slows the growth of bacteria, allowing food to be fresher longer. I refuse to believe this is a purely American thing.
It depends on what it is. Things I prepare myself go in the fridge. I have left chinese takeout and pizza out overnight many times and eaten it the next morning with no issues, because i am gross like that.
Back in the olden days on Sundays, big food was cooked. We sat down for lunch, but the leftovers were kept on the dining room table and covered with towels. That way we could graze the rest of the day or if visitors came over they could help themselves. Now mind you, anything with mayo was put in the fridge. Also nothing was kept out for days on end.
I’m not sure what country you’re from but go to your local restaurant and ask them how long their meat and cut up vegetables were left out exposed at room temperature, I bet they laugh and say we don’t do that here…. Because that’s not normal, any where.
We’re being trolled, right?
I’ve relaxed a lot since living in Mexico. We would leave food out for quite some time and I never got sick. I’ve kind of started doing similar. I did used to be very crazy about it after a few food poisoning.
What’s next? Do Americans really wash their hands after every time they use the toilet?
“In MyCountry we just wipe with our left hands and eat with our right we’ve got two hands so what’s the big deal.”
Ffs hygiene is for everyone you troll.
Depends on what the food is. If it’s egg-based, like something with mayonnaise in it, then yes, absolutely there’s cause for concern. Lunchmeat gets slimy. Real meat can harbor bacteria, even if originally cooked to the recommended internal temperature of 165 degrees. And some strains of bacteria don’t cook away. Not something we’re comfortable taking chances with.
It clearly depends on the type of food, but generally cooked food left between 40F (~5C) and 140F (~60C) will grow bacteria. The longer it stays in this range, the more bacteria will be present, so it’s best to get it refrigerated for health reasons. Also, food left out will attract bugs. We have a lot of insects in America and they get into kitchens quite easily.