Sqwertz > wrote:

>On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 19:45:26 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:

>> Sqwertz > wrote:
>>
>>>On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:51:20 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
>>
>>>> I've read that food which has been cooked in a pot (soup,
>>>> stew, chili) should be uncovered for a short while, then
>>>> covered and placed in the refrigerator.
>>
>>>From The USDA:
>>>
>>>Leftovers
>>> * Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than
>>>2 hours (1 hour if the temperature was above 90 °F).
>>> * Place food into shallow containers and immediately put in
>>>the refrigerator or freezer for rapid cooling.
>>> * Use cooked leftovers within 4 days.

>> So, removing from heat and uncovering for 30 minutes before
>> placing in the refrigerator is consistent with USDA recommendations.

>Not sure how you got that unless you consider 30 minutes
>"immediately".

By reading the above? 30 minutes is less than 1 hour.

>The less time food stays between 40F and 140F the better. It's
>that simple.

It's not that simple if a large amount of hot food is placed
in a small refrigerator, warming up some of its contents into
the danger zone.

Steve