The New Intimacy

Will you eat food after it has sat out? If so, how long?

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Contributor: K101 K101
I usually don't eat until pretty late in the evening and if I'm not at work, I'll be up late doing homework or something else and will eat then. If me and my partner hadn't cooked and ate by that evening, he'll pick me something up and bring it to me while I'm working and I'll end up just taking it home. I've gotten very used to eating things hours after it's been out! Last night I had a breakfast burrito that he brought me around 10 PM and I didn't eat it until around 6AM! He freaks when I do that, but it's a habit and it rarely bothers me anymore.

How long will you leave food out until you throw it away? Is it only certain foods you'll eat or do you always it as soon as you get it?

If it had been an entire day I probably wouldn't eat it, but since it's so cold at work and in my room at home, I usually don't mind eating it after several hours.
03/11/2012
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Contributor: bsgs bsgs
it depends on what it is.
03/11/2012
Contributor: Ryuson Ryuson
(Review Program Mentor)
Oh GOSH this is my one weird thing. I wont eat leftovers after about 3 hours even after they've been in the fridge unless it's like spaghetti and it's been especially packed for later and put in the fridge. Left out out? Maybe an hour tops!
03/11/2012
Contributor: Roz W Roz W
It depends. If it's left where I know nothing/nobody else is going to see/touch it...probably a day? (A plain toasted bagel will go rock-hard stale after about a day.) I don't mind day-old coffee either, which I know a lot of people find gross. (Black coffee, mind you.)

If I have a glass of water in my room, it gets used to water the plants if I haven't drunk it in a day.

Also sort of interesting: people from the US, culturally, have more of a "refrigerate everything!" mindset than, I hear, people from Europe, who might just leave cheese sit out and see it as No Big Deal.
03/11/2012
Contributor: ViVix ViVix
Quote:
Originally posted by K101
I usually don't eat until pretty late in the evening and if I'm not at work, I'll be up late doing homework or something else and will eat then. If me and my partner hadn't cooked and ate by that evening, he'll pick me something ... more
I ate a roast beef from my glove compartment in my car after a couple of hours once. I was just SO hungry. Bad habit of mine for sure.
03/11/2012
Contributor: Dnice Dnice
No I am scared of getting sick.
03/11/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
If it's cooked food, I leave it no more than 2 to 3 hours. I get nervous at buffets when food is left out for longer than that. I'm the one at BBQs, putting bowls of ice under the potato salads and salsas etc.

We have Christmas at our house and inevitably something gets left out overnight. We always throw it away! No matter what it is. Last year the pickles and olives got left out and My Man dumped them the next morning. Bread can be left out, as long as it's covered. I'll eat biscuits I made the night before, the next morning. No problem. But, protein containing food gets bacteria growing on it quickly.

Better safe than sorry.
03/11/2012
Contributor: Alx Alx
depends on the type of food I'm dealing with. I usually judge it by its texture before stuffing it in my mouth, too. I say no more than half a day and I'm good?
03/11/2012
Contributor: Breas Breas
It depends on what it is, but for the most part, no.
03/11/2012
Contributor: Ciao. Ciao.
Totally depends on what it is. But usually I don't like leaving things sitting out too long on the counter.
03/11/2012
Contributor: Kitka Kitka
It really depends on what it is for me.
03/11/2012
Contributor: Nora Nora
It depends on what it is...but if I think it might have had a chance to "turn", I usually just give it to the dog or throw it away.
03/11/2012
Contributor: corsetsaurus rex corsetsaurus rex
I'll attempt to eat anything before throwing it away. If I taste it and my body gives me the "no way man," then it gets tossed.
03/11/2012
Contributor: NurseKitty NurseKitty
Hah! Nurses will eat anything that has been left out. We often will eat leftovers from the other shift which means like 12 hours old or longer
03/11/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by NurseKitty
Hah! Nurses will eat anything that has been left out. We often will eat leftovers from the other shift which means like 12 hours old or longer
I have found the opposite experience. At the office for the Service I work for, we're always going through the frig, "How old is this hummus?" "Is this gluten free?" "How long has this soy ice cream been in here?" "Whose faux cream cheese is this, and was this the same container we left out during the seminar?" We're all germaphobe freaks.
03/11/2012
Contributor: GONE! GONE!
Depends on what's in it.
03/12/2012
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Depends what it is. My husband will eat just about anything that's been left out. Seriously. I watched him eat leftover Hamburger Helper Straganoff out of the pan the next morning. My response was "that was dairy based and left out all night, why the hell did you eat it?"

He said it was delicious.

I usually won't eat something if it's been left out long enough to change consistencies, color, flavor, etc.
03/12/2012
Contributor: NurseKitty NurseKitty
Quote:
Originally posted by P'Gell
I have found the opposite experience. At the office for the Service I work for, we're always going through the frig, "How old is this hummus?" "Is this gluten free?" "How long has this soy ice cream been in here?" ... more
Maybe it's just us gross ICU and ED nurses.
04/18/2012
Contributor: Woman China Woman China
Quote:
Originally posted by Roz W
It depends. If it's left where I know nothing/nobody else is going to see/touch it...probably a day? (A plain toasted bagel will go rock-hard stale after about a day.) I don't mind day-old coffee either, which I know a lot of people find ... more
Oh yeah!!! You should see what the Chinese do... some of it is crazy weird. To me as I am the outsider.

Because my house is not properly heated, my kitchen through the winter time becomes one giant refrigerator/freezer and I turn my fridge off all winter. So I don't really think of anything being left out over night or ever for a day or so.

But... during the warmer months where I do have to use a fridge, it does all depend on what it is. I know I prefer my cheese (if I actually have some) to be left out so I can eat it at room temps as that is how one should consume cheeses, and I prefer all my raw foods at room temps too. I know when my North American friends come to visit they think I am nuts for not putting EVERYTHING into the fridge.

Chinese food tastes horrible the next day so when I have have take out or delivery I just toss if it is not consumed in an hour or two afterwards.

Buffets I have a hard time eating at buffets to begin with as I question how long food has been left out, how many fingers have been in each dish, how many people have coughed over each dish... I am not a germaphobe! Honest!!!
04/18/2012