Doctor shares hidden dangers of batch cooking and how to store it safely
Batch cooking is a brilliant way to save money, time, and stress. A big pot of chili, soup, or stew, and you’ve got lunch and dinners sorted for days. However, people have been arguing over what is the best course of action to do with your grub after it’s been cooked. Do you leave it out overnight and reheat some the next day? Or do you pop in the fridge or freezer straight away?
Asking the same question on social media, one person pondered: “Is leaving food, like curry, bolognese, in a pot on the stove overnight dangerous - like food poisoning or bacteria growth?” The Reddit post quickly attracted a mixed bag of answers from people, many of whom appeared to be very relaxed about their food hygiene. One user wrote: “It’s not really that dangerous, since the meat in especially these dishes is thoroughly cooked.” While another person added: “I do it all the time and I'm not dead yet,” someone else agreed, adding: “My mum always left soup on the hob for a day or two, she is still alive and kicking.”
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A fourth user advised: “We do it pretty frequently, and it's never made us sick. Just make sure it's covered and not left for more than a day at the very most. In theory, thoroughly cooked food should be (practically) sterile but the toxins left by bacterial growth will remain - this is why you can't cook spoiled food safely. New microbial growth will establish itself but takes a little more time than if you just left raw food out on the side. It's a case where it's likely fine to eat if it's at home and it happens, but not something you'd want a restaurant to be doing.”
However, not everyone agreed. One person dramatically wrote: “The amount of people replying ‘it hasn't killed me yet’ is staggering. Do you know who hasn't replied? The people it has killed. Seriously though - it is a risk. The likelihood of dangerous quantities of pathogens developing overnight on any specific occasion is low. However, the consequences of this happening, when it does, can be severe. And one day it will. Even things with very low levels of probability do happen.”
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Another user agreed, writing: “Surprised by the amount of people saying they do this regularly. If I forget to put it in the fridge after cooking I will put it in as soon as I realise. Not doing so seems lazy, risky, and a bit gross.”
Wanting to know an expert’s opinion, the Mirror asked Dr Deborah Lee, from Dr Fox Pharmacy, for her professional take on the matter. She said: “Once you have put cooked food, including meat dishes such as curry or lasagne, on the table, this should be consumed within two hours and as soon as it is cool, covered and put back in the fridge. And remember to always cover food and store meat and fish on a separate shelf.
“The number of bacteria in food doubles every 20 minutes. This means one bacterium becomes 2097,152 bacteria over seven hours! This applies to meat, poultry, seafood, tofu, dairy products, vegetables, rice, pasta, and fruit.”
She continued: “Staphylococcal food poisoning is the most common type of food poisoning in the world. 25% of humans carry S.aureus on their skin or in their nose. It produces toxins that cause diarrhoea and vomiting. Cooking food thoroughly at the correct temperature kills the bacteria but not the toxins.
“Food hygiene when preparing and handling food is vital. Always wash your hands carefully before and after dealing with food. Food should be heated to over 75 degrees in the centre and it should be steaming hot in the middle.”
In terms of leftovers and food kept in the fridge, Dr Deborah said: “Left-over food should be eaten within two days and rice within 24 hours, and never reheat food more than once. If you cook a meat dish, serve it piping hot, allow it to cool, cover it, and put it immediately in the fridge. Eat it within 48 hours, and only reheat it once. After this, it should be thrown away.”
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