Food Safety: Big pot of chicken soup left out for 24 hours
All, I'm looking for some guidance here.
1. Throw together a huge pot of chicken soup Sunday afternoon. Carcass and all.
2. Let simmer for hours.
3. Turn off when one goes out for a 90 minute dinner.
4. Get home and forget to put it away.
5. Discover soup tonight, still on stovetop, about 23 HOURS after the heat was turned off.
So... if I bring this up to a rapid boil again, is it safe to eat? Or is this gonna make us all sick?
Thanks in advance for your guidance!
-Peter
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Peter
Feb 2, 2010 05:28 AM
Thanks everyone for the opinions -- especially you, Miki, for putting it in terms I can apply in the future (acid/moisture).
The ironic thing is, of course, that this was chicken soup -- made for my wife with a cold. You know... 'cause chicken soup kills the germs. ;-)
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The guidelines I've been taught in safety classes are these: moisture vs. acidity. If something has a high acid content, say, tomatoes, then they are fairly safe. If something has a high moisture content, for example white rice or baked potatoes, it is NOT safe.
Your soup is high with the moisture and low on the acid. Throw it out. Sorry. I hate waste.
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King of Northern Blvd
Feb 1, 2010 07:37 PM
I offer nothing except to say that about 24 hrs has to be the point of no return....
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shaogo
Feb 1, 2010 07:12 PM
At 24 hours, even though you can kill whatever is bioactive with a good boil, the by-products of the bacteria that developed can make people queasy, or worse.
I abhor waste but just think that soup -- the kitchen's Petri dish -- is just too risky to consume safely.
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re: jeanmarieok
Personally, I would definitely not consider it safe.
However, I would also refer you to this post on a similar topic with lots of responses and info: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/670447
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todao
Feb 1, 2010 03:40 PM
"Smell" is not indicator that food is safe, and some microbes can survive even boiling temperatures. Even when the boiling occurs over several hours. Unfortunately, those are some of the most deadly. Unless you enjoy russian roulette, throw it away. If you need something to read:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foo...›1 Reply-
re: todao
smell is a good indicator. the smell comes from the bacteria. and those microbes that survive boiling temperatures that you mentioned, its one type, Clostridium perfringens, and only certain strains of that. Also, this bacteria is usually caused by food that is not cooked properly because it does not reach temperatures that are high enough.
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Smell it, does it smell sour/bad? How warm is your house/kitchen/wherever you left the soup out. Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with boiling it for a few minutes (rolling boil) and then drinking it. Honestly, Americans get so worked up over expiration dates and refrigeration. I'm from France originally, never refrigerate my eggs (and eat them raw sometimes too!) and have never gotten sick. I've left raw chicken out at room temperature for a few hours and cooked it without any problems. There are 200 million starving children, so please, before you waste more food, at least try it.
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re: lyntc10
Agree agree agree. Here's what I'd do. Strain out all the solids and discard them. Bring the broth back to a boil and let it simmer for a good half hour. Done. Unless the soup had so badly turned that you could actually smell it, you will have killed any microorganisms by boiling the soup. You can now add new vegetables or noodles or freeze it in portions or do whatever you want do to with it. You can sue me if I'm wrong.
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