Can I eat chili that sat out overnight (covered in a saucepan)?

You will shit your pants while eating at McDonalds tomorrow.

You cooked it yesterday, that sterilized it. The lid prevented it from contacting the air, its ok today still. Before refrigeration, people ate stuff out of the dutch oven for days (peas porridge in the pot 9 days old). I wouldn't test it beyond 2-3 days too much, but 1 day old is fine, especially when covered, and spiced with habeneros.

peas porridge hot. peas porridge cold. diarrhea on the pot nine days old.

Last Edited by Fletch on 03/01/2010 02:35 AM

botulism is anaerobic - only can grow in a zero-oxygen environment, such as in an unopened can.

Open, covered pot, definitely no botulism.

I would say chuck it, but if you're not gonna boil it ten minutes min.

whatever. You're homeless you should know all about leftovers

All of you are F@#$%^ if the power grid goes out for any length of time.
Tomato's and Tomato sauce are highly acidic therefore will keep bacteria in check for a while. YES it is ok to eat day old chili left on the counter top - I do it all of the time.
Besides, it tastes better the next day !

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

that reads like the fortune cookie message from hell.

I am sure after just one night unless it has been very warm it will be fine.

How old was the meat? Was it fresh?

Go for it I say and refridgerate the rest but eat it within a day or 2.

When in doubt, throw it out.

Sucks dude, but this ain't the 1800's, so, why risk it? Do over.

[link to www.youtube.com]

Thats why you can smell ,If it smells alright you can eat it

I wouldn't

Chili is always better after a day or two or three. If you left it out, just give it a good boil as others have told you. If it leaves you too gassy, throw it out!

I see a future thread emerging: "TO THE GUY THAT TOLD ME I COULD EAT UNREFRIGERATED 8-HOUR OLD CHILI... YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!"



Last Edited by Hillcrest on 03/01/2010 02:52 AM

haha, well, I ate some of it..as little as possible just in case, but it was definitely delicious - better than yesterday. I'm just hoping that my stomach agrees with me in the next 8-24 hours :p Thanks for all of the advice, I'll post back with results. As one of the above posters hinted at it's definitely good to know things like this for when TSHTF and refrigeration isn't an option.

i really don't think you will have any problem, but may want to eat a couple more habernaros just in case. Good luck

Yeah, sure.


Just make sure to remove the earthquakes first.

quit being a pussy

If you want food poisoning be my guest, just trying to help out.

Don't say i didn't warn ya

Me too, it usually tastes even better, the flavours of the spices have time to develop.

I do it all the time. eat it and ignore the wimps

and if you use clean technique when cooking, not cross contaminating stuff

I agree w/ShadowDander and the AC. Chili cooks a long time and should have been sterile when the heat was last on.

I leave food out overnight all the time. But It does depend on what the food is.

For example, foods like chili that have garlic, onions and other allicins in it contain natural anti-microbials that kill germs. So if you cook with a lot of spices like that, you can generally expect that they take longer to spoil.

Also, if your chili has tomato and salt in it, the acid and the salt also makes it harder for most bacteria to grow.

It would take at least 2 days for something like a covered pot of chili to turn.

Left out overnight should be okay.

I wouldn't do this in any commercial operation, just my own kitchen.

Last Edited by Andromeda on 03/01/2010 05:38 AM

I used to live in Honolulu, where the humidity is off the charts and the average air temp is 85 degrees f. 24/7.
Left meat stuff out all the time and ate it the next day no probs.



Usually.

Last Edited by S'gan-Levi on 03/01/2010 05:39 AM

I haven't had a fridge for nearly two years.

It's the health police and the food manufacturers that tell you your food is 'off' almost before you've got it home from the shops.

Treat 'use by' dates with a pinch of salt. Trust your nose. Use common sense.

Heat it through properly and enjoy it - without fear.

It'll be alright. If you stir and boil, add half a can of chicken broth instead of water. Surprised the majority of you sophists missed the point that his chili contains preservatives/additives by default that prevents spoilage.

If it has mold on it... Scrape the mold off, its still good. Great way to boost your immune system as well.

Its still good. Just remember, if it smells funky, then it probably is.