Will I Die if I Eat This; Part II

[Villanelle]

I survived the oats with the container that opened in shipping and perhaps it has made me foolishly cocky. 

Last night's dinner was a lasagna that I made a couple months ago and put in the freezer.  Yum!  Only... there was a miscommunication between me and DH.  I thought he'd taken it out and put it in the fridge, but he was just telling me he'd turned off the oven.  We'd put it back in after we served ourselves because the center was still cold.  (It was already fully cooked before freezing.)  So it sat overnight (about 14 hours) in the oven.  (Of potential note, the oven was hot for much of that time, as it slowly cooled from baking temps.) 

When I realized and took it out this morning, the center was still noticably warm (but not at all hot--just a clear warmth on my hand when pressed to the bottom of the pan.)  I immediately popped it in the fridge. 

This one feels far less clear than the oats, which were always an "of course this is safe".  But it's 3/4 of a large tray of lasagne, and probably 2 dinners and several lunches worth.  What say you, oh wise and all-knowing Mustachians? 

[jrhampt]

Is it a veggie lasagna or a meat lasagna?

[LifeHappens]

Oooh. You're talking about a food that spent probably 12 hours in the Danger Zone. I would toss it.

[Villanelle]

Is it a veggie lasagna or a meat lasagna?

Meat.

[Free Spirit]

Full disclosure, I work in food service and have to take courses every couple of months about food safety so my bias is probably showing. The severity of food borne illness is really drilled into us so I take it pretty seriously. Food poisoning is awful.

So no, I,  100% would not consume. Your lasagne probably spent way too much time in the temperature danger zone, over 2 hours is considered super risky. The "danger zone" for bacterial growth is between 41°F-140°F and bacteria can double every 20 minutes within that range. It wouldn't be worth it to me.

[BECABECA]

Definitely throw the meat lasagna out, it will have grown a lot more bacteria in that time than if it was only veggie. If it was veggie, I probably still would have thrown it out, since it was in the warm temperature for all that time. If it was left out on the counter and veggie, I’d still eat it.

[Dicey]

Much as I hate food waste, I'd probably toss a meat lasagne.

[aloevera1]

100% I would not eat. It's really not worth the consequences.

Btw, food poisoning sometimes has lasting effects on health which just reinforces: DO NOT EAT.

[flyingsnakes]

No one here leaves takeout pizza in the box on the counter and eats it for breakfast in the morning? Yikes, how have I survived this long?

[tweezers]

Definitely throw the meat lasagna out, it will have grown a lot more bacteria in that time than if it was only veggie. If it was veggie, I probably still would have thrown it out, since it was in the warm temperature for all that time. If it was left out on the counter and veggie, I’d still eat it.

But will it have grown any bacteria?  A hot oven will have killed environmental bacteria and being in this sterile place and unhandled until it was removed, what source of bacteria is there?

I'm a toxicologist (not a microbiologist), and I'd eat it.   I guess I'm living on the edge with @flyingsnakes.

[SunnyDays]

Even if bacteria did grow, wouldn't reheating it to eat kill them off?  I would just cut it into serving sizes and heat in microwave until piping hot. Personally, I would eat it. 

[BECABECA]

Definitely throw the meat lasagna out, it will have grown a lot more bacteria in that time than if it was only veggie. If it was veggie, I probably still would have thrown it out, since it was in the warm temperature for all that time. If it was left out on the counter and veggie, I’d still eat it.

But will it have grown any bacteria?  A hot oven will have killed environmental bacteria and being in this sterile place and unhandled until it was removed, what source of bacteria is there?

I'm a toxicologist (not a microbiologist), and I'd eat it.   I guess I'm living on the edge with @flyingsnakes.

I believe that Clostridium perfringens common in cooked meats, not only survive cooking but would really multiply when food cools too slowly. And an oven that is turned off would stay in the higher end of the danger zone for much longer, multiplying the bacteria faster.

Pizza on a counter is a completely different situation.

[BECABECA]

Even if bacteria did grow, wouldn't reheating it to eat kill them off?  I would just cut it into serving sizes and heat in microwave until piping hot. Personally, I would eat it.

Some bacteria produce heat resistant toxins that reheating won’t destroy.

[jrhampt]

I would probably very reluctantly toss it due to the meat content and the length of time.  If it was 5-6 hours I'd probably risk it but 14 hours is just too long for me.

[GuitarStv]

14 hrs is too long for me for meat stuff.

[obstinate]

Veggie or meat, I'd throw it out. It's wet and warm. Bacteria love this. 80-90% of the time you eat it probably nothing happens. 10% is way too high of a risk for me though, over some lasagna that I can easily make again.

[Cranky]

Even I would toss that one.

[Sibley]

Toss it, too risky.

[Nutty]

I really hate food waste and would eat it.  I'm fine with 90% of the time it being fine.  I'm really glad you survived your open oats encounter!

Remember what they did before refrigeration (besides get sick).  They had no option but to leave it on the hearth or stove.  Ideally, there wouldn't be any leftovers, but if there were, breakfast was planned.

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old;
Some like it hot, some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot, nine days old.

[obstinate]

Remember what they did before refrigeration (besides get sick).

They . . . died of dysentery at a shockingly high rate. Silly to take such risks to save the equivalent of an hour or two of work.

[Metalcat]

Oof, no, not at all worth the risk.

[Villanelle]

Okay, I'm trashing it.  Stay tuned for "Will I Die if I Eat This; Part III".  Release date TBD. 

[jrhampt]

Okay, I'm trashing it.  Stay tuned for "Will I Die if I Eat This; Part III".  Release date TBD.

So sorry.  I feel your pain; I scrape the mold off the cheese and expiration dates are suggestions but I would like you to live.

[classicrando]

Okay, I'm trashing it.  Stay tuned for "Will I Die if I Eat This; Part III".  Release date TBD.

I really like reading this series.

[AuspiciousEight]

This is a nice series.

When I was younger I would have definitely eaten it without thinking twice about it.

Now that I'm older though I definitely would not eat this.

[Villanelle]

Well, I may never sell any of the novels I have in varying stages of completion, but it's nice to know I have created a series with a loyal following. 

[lukebuz]

With all the preservatives in today's pre-prepared food?  Yeah, I'd eat it.  No second thought.

[sonofsven]

I survived the oats with the container that opened in shipping and perhaps it has made me foolishly cocky. 

Last night's dinner was a lasagna that I made a couple months ago and put in the freezer.  Yum!  Only... there was a miscommunication between me and DH.  I thought he'd taken it out and put it in the fridge, but he was just telling me he'd turned off the oven.  We'd put it back in after we served ourselves because the center was still cold.  (It was already fully cooked before freezing.)  So it sat overnight (about 14 hours) in the oven.  (Of potential note, the oven was hot for much of that time, as it slowly cooled from baking temps.) 

When I realized and took it out this morning, the center was still noticably warm (but not at all hot--just a clear warmth on my hand when pressed to the bottom of the pan.)  I immediately popped it in the fridge. 

This one feels far less clear than the oats, which were always an "of course this is safe".  But it's 3/4 of a large tray of lasagne, and probably 2 dinners and several lunches worth.  What say you, oh wise and all-knowing Mustachians?

I would have eaten it without a second thought.
If it smells  bad or tastes bad I don't eat it.

[Nutty]

I think we are missing an important part of this.  Has anyone here died of food poisoning lately?

I went out of town and ate at a small town BBQ joint (because the pizza place was closed).  The food tasted OK.  However, I was in the hotel for the next 2 days in misery.  The taste was unique and not bad but I thought that was the local BBQ.  My coworker did not get sick so I suspect the bottle of sauce.  I lived but was questioning myself. 

Stay hydrated and wash your hands. 

Reading the news, there is usually a salad related food poisoning issue versus the meat related products. 

[GuitarStv]

Has anyone here died of food poisoning lately?

Yes, I died of food poisoning twice last year.

[kingxiaodi]

Has anyone here died of food poisoning lately?

Yes, I died of food poisoning twice last year.

This is some next level necroposting!

[Omy]

I'm pretty lax about expiration dates and I would have eaten the oats, but I don't mess around with food poisoning. I've had it twice in 60+ years and both times were horrendous.

My ER deductible is $300. It's way more frugal to throw away questionable food.

[AuspiciousEight]

I'm pretty lax about expiration dates and I would have eaten the oats, but I don't mess around with food poisoning. I've had it twice in 60+ years and both times were horrendous.

My ER deductible is $300. It's way more frugal to throw away questionable food.

That is a nice deductible...I have a job and my ER deductible is $10,000 dollars. Maybe this is a sign I should retire...

Now that I think about this in terms of potential medical bills I feel like I should definitely be avoiding any questionable food.