OT: leaving food sitting out

Wait 'til it's cool enough and put the pan, with lid, in the fridge. Assuming that it's been at 100C for a decent time it should be OK for 24h out of the fridge - I'd be OK with that even atm with the kitchen at about

Put it in a microwave-safe container with a lid. Use this to reheat it. Less washing up.

If you do it in winter, in an unheated kitchen...

My Gran had a pantry with a sticky-out bit in the pantry, it was a screened-in shelf. She draped a damp tea towel over the item she was keeping for the next day. Once she acquired a refrigerator, though, she stopped doing that.

Pantries used to have a stone slab you put things on which was supposed to keep things cool. I don't see it myself. And a "meat safe" with perforated ventilation to keep the flies off.

Done it many many times with no problems.

Tim

I have done it in the past, and live to tell the tale...

(normally I will decant it into serving size containers and put em in the fridge the same night, but have done that the following morning as well)

We don't have a microwave, have had in the past but never used it.

I’d not leave it out once cooled down. It would probably be ok but I tend to be very careful with food hygiene.

I regularly cook ahead - soups, stews, etc and freeze them in portions- usually for one or two people. It was something we started doing when we both worked, we don’t like junk / convenience food. Even though we are retired, we find it convenient for some meals and, over the years, I developed several recipes we enjoy.

Typically, I cook something like beef in Guinness for a meal but, rather that cooking two servings, I do 8 or 10 ( I have a large Le Creuset Casserole bought for the purpose). The ‘spare’ servings are placed in the kind of plastic containers used by some Chinese Take a ways - you can buy them in bulk off EBay- and freeze them once cool.

While I’ve never cooked one day and dated the meal the next, I would follow the above but pop it in the fridge rather than the freezer.

I have been considering vacuum sealing portions in bags and freezing - it would save some space- but I’ve not tried it yet. While I have several freezers at home, freezer space in the motorhome is limited and we like to carry a few of my meals for the days we are travelling.

When I make a curry (500g low-fat mince, plus a jar of Patak's curry sauce), I cook the mince first in a pan with a little olive oil and stirring until all the pinkness has gone, then add the curry sauce and simmer it all on the cooker for about thirty minutes with occasional stirring. Let it cool overnight with the lid on the pan before dividing it next day into portions and freezing them.

Never had a problem. Being well cooked sterilises it enough to allow it to remain out of the fridge for 24 hours, possibly longer but never tried it. I find that leaving it overnight allows the flavours to develop better.

Surely it will always lag air temperature changes. Perhaps more effective as a *heat sink*; to get stuff down to ambient.

My mother used to stand fresh dairy milk on hers. I think to speed up cream separation for butter making.

During school Summer holidays, churns of rejected milk would come back from the dairy. Ever resourceful, she converted it to soft cheese:-)

practice. Practise is the verb.

Provided the lid is on and the room is not too hot it'll be fine for a day or two. Most stuff that's cooked has been sterilised by the heat. If the grub is then left uncovered, bacteria drifting onto it from the air will get it turning.

Same with your loo, really. If all you've done is widdle in it then put the lid down to help stop it starting to smell. Fresh widdle is sterile (unless you have a bladder infection).

Mostly 24 hrs is OK, 48 hrs and it starts to develop alien life forms

Billions of people do it. Mostly they're fine, but not always. We have fridges to avoid those times.

I use my two micros all the time. Many a time I don't turn the ordinary cooker on.

Bill

The thick marble or slate shelf was only part of the overall design. The floor and walls should also be of stone and there should be good ventilation. The idea was to create a dry artificial cave that would maintain a stable temperature the whole year round.

I don't see it myself. And a "meat safe" with

It's not just the bacteria that are harmful. The toxins they release when they die (e.g. botox) are the real killers.

you have two microwave ovens? Why do you have two microwave ovens?

That is true. But assuming the food is fresh before cooking, the numbers of bacteria won't have developed very far before they get killed by the cooking.

Me too! The only time I use the fan oven is cooking frozen pizza!

Domestic staff deals with real cooking:-)

We also have two.

One put in by kitchen designer at knee height! The one I use sits on a worktop so the dials and controls are easily visible.