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Can you put warm / hot food in the fridge or not?
- Thread starter Pankratous
- Start date
Food that is steaming hot needs be let to cool (to the point of not giving off steam), before being sealed / covered and placed in the fridge.
This is according to food safe guidelines.
To circumvent this, simply put the food straight in the fridge without covering, then cover when it is cool enough to be safe to do so.
Theres a danger zone of temperature, then a time range for food being at that temperature that promotes pathogen growth etc.
Food that is hot and steaming and covered immediately and put into the fridge will stay hot longer (because it is covered), and this is why food safe discourages this.
These guidelines are designed in such a way to avoid mistakes by lowest common denominator dumbies.
(Reference: my 10 years as a cook in the food service industry with managerial level food safe certification).
This is according to food safe guidelines.
To circumvent this, simply put the food straight in the fridge without covering, then cover when it is cool enough to be safe to do so.
Theres a danger zone of temperature, then a time range for food being at that temperature that promotes pathogen growth etc.
Food that is hot and steaming and covered immediately and put into the fridge will stay hot longer (because it is covered), and this is why food safe discourages this.
These guidelines are designed in such a way to avoid mistakes by lowest common denominator dumbies.
(Reference: my 10 years as a cook in the food service industry with managerial level food safe certification).
It's unnecessary to put soft drinks and beer in your fridge too.
But they taste better if you do. And fruit too (not bananas though).
Not really a fan of eating warm fruit (unless it's pineapple on pizza).
The faster you get it to a cool temp, the longer it will keep. If you leave it out to cool first, it's less work for your fridge, but the food is moving more quickly toward spoilage
Growing up I always thought this western craze for not leaving food out for 1-2 hours was so weird. If I cook something at noon or even morning. That shit is staying out on the counter all day.
This is wrong.
It really depends on what food we're talking about, but generally, keeping food lukewarm for even a few hours is an unnecessary risk that you should not take.
Food safety standards in the US generally stipulate that food that has been left between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit for more than 2 hours should be thrown away.
Danger zone (food safety) - Wikipedia
My fridge has blast processing but for cooling. It's a neat trick to rapidly cool shopping just brought home or the freezer for rapid freeze etc. It detects rising temps due to hot food and blasts that shit onto the same temperature level as all other food stuffs.
Technically food will cool more rapidly the greater the temperature difference as well, it's a weird science thing that is constantly argued about why it occurs.
Technically food will cool more rapidly the greater the temperature difference as well, it's a weird science thing that is constantly argued about why it occurs.
I'm definitely the most "cavalier" of all the people I know with food. I know people who will throw away an entire plate of leftovers if they forget to put it away more than a few hours later. I'll eat it the next day even if it's stayed out overnight. I guess our stomachs are adjusted the ways they are. I almost never get ill, especially not stomach bugs etc.
It's really funny that I read this here.
I work in food and have a few certifications and am in school for my Dietary Manager certification as well and, while my job is in large part paperwork and management, I have surprisingly little hands-on time with food. I recently had a staff member stop me from putting food directly from a steam table into a fridge. I won't say I'm some master of food safety but it is very important to me. If I have one strength I'd say I know what I'm not 100% sure about, so I'm not afraid to research.
PREEMPTIVE EDIT: I typed this big long thing but I can't state the info as eloquently as the FDA-
Cooling foods
When cooling foods, the FDA Food Code recommends a two-stage cooling process. First, the food should be cooled from 135° to 70° degrees Fahrenheit in two hours or less. Second, the food should be cooled from 70° to 40° Fahrenheit in four hours or less. Total cooling should not exceed six hours.
Large batches of food, such as a large pot of stew, should not be cooled in one large container in a refrigerator. Doing so does not allow the food to cool fast enough and keeps the food in the temperature danger zone for too long and allows pathogens to grow to an unsafe level.
An inexpensive way to properly cool large batches of food is to divide it into smaller containers. Keep the containers uncovered while cooling to prevent extra moisture, but be sure to cover it when it has finished cooling.
Warming foods
When reheating foods that will be hot held, the food should be heated to 165° Fahrenheit or higher. Foods should reach 165° F in two hours or less. Because foods must be reheated in a quick manner, it is important to use appropriate cooking or rethermalizing equipment such as a microwave, stove, or oven. Do not attempt to reheat food for hot holding in warming trays or other hot-holding equipment because these devices will not warm up the food fast enough and will allow pathogens to grow.
These methods of time and temperature control effectively prevent bacteria growth. With good controls, bacteria growth can be limited and TCS foods kept safe.
TL/DR- I ended up putting the food directly from the steam table into the fridge because it was already individually portioned out and would be at the safe temp in plenty of time.
I really do encourage everyone to learn some basic food safety. You'd be surprised what you'll learn. Fascinating subject. I need to get off my ass and work on school stuff. It's so overwhelming to work 50-60 hours a week and do school as well. My hat's off to anyone who even tries.
I work in food and have a few certifications and am in school for my Dietary Manager certification as well and, while my job is in large part paperwork and management, I have surprisingly little hands-on time with food. I recently had a staff member stop me from putting food directly from a steam table into a fridge. I won't say I'm some master of food safety but it is very important to me. If I have one strength I'd say I know what I'm not 100% sure about, so I'm not afraid to research.
PREEMPTIVE EDIT: I typed this big long thing but I can't state the info as eloquently as the FDA-
Cooling foods
When cooling foods, the FDA Food Code recommends a two-stage cooling process. First, the food should be cooled from 135° to 70° degrees Fahrenheit in two hours or less. Second, the food should be cooled from 70° to 40° Fahrenheit in four hours or less. Total cooling should not exceed six hours.
Large batches of food, such as a large pot of stew, should not be cooled in one large container in a refrigerator. Doing so does not allow the food to cool fast enough and keeps the food in the temperature danger zone for too long and allows pathogens to grow to an unsafe level.
An inexpensive way to properly cool large batches of food is to divide it into smaller containers. Keep the containers uncovered while cooling to prevent extra moisture, but be sure to cover it when it has finished cooling.
Warming foods
When reheating foods that will be hot held, the food should be heated to 165° Fahrenheit or higher. Foods should reach 165° F in two hours or less. Because foods must be reheated in a quick manner, it is important to use appropriate cooking or rethermalizing equipment such as a microwave, stove, or oven. Do not attempt to reheat food for hot holding in warming trays or other hot-holding equipment because these devices will not warm up the food fast enough and will allow pathogens to grow.
These methods of time and temperature control effectively prevent bacteria growth. With good controls, bacteria growth can be limited and TCS foods kept safe.
TL/DR- I ended up putting the food directly from the steam table into the fridge because it was already individually portioned out and would be at the safe temp in plenty of time.
I really do encourage everyone to learn some basic food safety. You'd be surprised what you'll learn. Fascinating subject. I need to get off my ass and work on school stuff. It's so overwhelming to work 50-60 hours a week and do school as well. My hat's off to anyone who even tries.
Very true. It's recommended to portion it down or use an ice paddle. Hell, put the pot in an ice bath and stir the shit out of it, even.
So? I have also eaten pizza that was out all day no problem. It depends on you're immune system. Does not mean it's smart or safe. If it works for you go right ahead, but it can make you sick.
Thanks for this detailed post. Reading through this thread was making my SafeServ senses tingle.
My mom taught me to let the food cool in the open to let the steam out, particularly for rice, so that it's not sitting all wet in the fridge.
Thank you. When I got my Servsafe manager's my buddy encouraged me to get my proctor cert as well. I've never used it and I'm not even sure the process to proctor someone currently, though I wouldn't mind if the opportunity presented itself. It would be a great refresher for my knowledge, as well.
There's just so much I know I don't know it gets intimidating. Like if a staff member asked me the proper temp to cook something to, I'd only be doing a semi-educated guess, but I know enough to know that there is a proper temp to cook it to for at least I believe 15 seconds, and to Google for further information. I've studied all this crap, but since I don't use it very often it just falls right out of my head.
I'd say that's probably the primary reason once I, hopefully if ever, get my CDM I probably won't leverage that into a food service director position. It's in my career path, I just don't feel like I have the confidence or killer instinct to be that level. If there is one thing that school has taught me so far, is that I make a pretty good second banana and for now I'm okay with that.
Let it cool down for a little bit first as otherwise you heat up your refrigerator. It's not going to become covered in bacteria sitting on a plate for 10-15 minutes.
Some people say it's just an issue if it's in Tupperware. Something like a roast or chicken put into Tupperware hot and with the lid closed insulates the meat so it takes a long time to cool down which could allow more bacterial growth.
Likewise I'm not sure hot food cooling in a fridge for 10-15 minutes is going to have a serious effect on your fridge's temperature. Unless it's a bar-fridge or something.
Don't put hot food in the fridge, people. It's a waste of energy and your fridge will definitely break much sooner.
Nothing wrong with letting your food cool down for a half an hour or even a bit longer (depends somewhat on the food obviously). Bacteria growth in that timespan is minimal and negligible. Just don't let it sit outside for a day or two if possible (some food will surive even that, but not your potato salad or cooked meat etc.)
Nothing wrong with letting your food cool down for a half an hour or even a bit longer (depends somewhat on the food obviously). Bacteria growth in that timespan is minimal and negligible. Just don't let it sit outside for a day or two if possible (some food will surive even that, but not your potato salad or cooked meat etc.)
doh doesn't allow that so.. I'll follow the doh standards at home as well
I'm not going to eat a room temperature apple like some sort of savage.
