On Feb 12, 2:07 pm, " > wrote:
> "Bobo Bonobo®" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
> > On Feb 11, 12:51 pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> >> Sqwertz > wrote:
> >> >Always put food in the refrigerator as soon as possible - no
> >> >matter how hot it is. This is what all food safety
> >> >courses/guidelines will tell you, and what health departments
> >> >enforce at restaurants.
>
> >> Restaurant refrigerators have a lot more thermal mass than
> >> a home refrigerator so the answer may not be the same in both
> >> cases.
>
> >> 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. To me, this makes
> >> sense -- you don't want uncovered food in your refrigerator,
> >> nor do you want to place something so hot in there it
> >> will warm up everything. A typical pot of food will cool
> >> substantially if left uncovered for 30 minutes, and this is
> >> considerably less time than the 2 hour limit for leaving
> >> something at room temp.
>
> >> The worst thing to do, I think, is to take it off the heat
> >> and just leave it covered. Then it spends a lot of time
> >> ramping through near-room-temperature.
>
> > But if you have it at the boiling point, which kills all the bacteria,
> > then turn the heat off and leave it covered, how the heck are bacteria
> > going to get into the covered pot to set up a breeding program? If I
> > make a big pot of soup, I return it to boiling, cover it and simmer a
> > few minutes, then turn it off and leave it out all night to cool,
> > putting it into the fridge in the morning. Again, how are bacteria
> > going to even get in?
>
> >> Steve
>
> > --Bryan
> > np: Mott the Hoople - All the Young Dudes
>
> How about between boiling and covering it?

After covering it, you continue to simmer for however long. Of
course, you might not want to "do as I do." I leave pizza out
overnight, and eat it in the morning. Same with fried chicken,
meatballs in red sauce, and various other things. I've never gotten
sick from doing it.

--Bryan