Is a Quiche Left Out Overnight Safe to Eat? and Related Food Storage Question.

Updated on August 16, 2011
L.B. asks from New Rochelle, NY
12 answers

My husband was supposed to refrigerate the quiche I made after I went to bed, but he forgot. I am guessing it has to be thrown out? It was stored at room temp. all night.

The reason he did this (AGAIN!) is that he has this firm conviction that when you put leftovers in the fridge, you have to let them cool off completely. So they sit on the counter for hours. Does anyone else do this?

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

So What Happened?

Yeah, I threw it out. Sigh. It was a swiss chard, porcini mushroom quiche with imported swiss cheese and a homemade rye crust. SIGH........

Featured Answers

L.F.

answers from Dallas on

when in doubt, throw it out. If food is in question, I ask myself, "Would you pay __ (the cost of the food) not to be violently ill?" The answer is usually yes!

2 moms found this helpful

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

I teach food safety for TWDC. Foods with high protein content (meat, poultry, diary, fish, EGGS, etc) have a temperature danger zone. these Foods should not be stored or held at temperatures between 40 degrees F and 141. If the foods have been stored or held between these temperatures for more than 2 hours after cooking the potential for bacteria growth is very high. the food is not safe to eat. toss it out if it has been this temperature (most likelt yes?). too properly cool food you need cool rapidly. This is often done by placing items in smaller containers so it can cool faster. Also so the hot food does not heat up items in the fridge (this might be what your huuby was thinking?)

for an out of the box food storage: it was really funny at thanksgiving we had in Utah last year. super cold outside. since it was 22 degrees outside and below 10 at night people just put their food on the back porch OUTSIDE. so funny. Everyone thought it would be fine. And it was but it froze solid. So we had our work cut out to reheat things. kind of funny.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.S.

answers from Chicago on

I used to do what your hubby did. Then got the same results. food that has to be thrown away. and yes a quiche has to be tossed it has eggs and cheese. But the way I fixed that problem was to sit the food that had to cool on the stove and set the oven timer for an hour then when it went off we remembered to put the food away. good luck. sorry your quiche got ruined.

2 moms found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.S.

answers from Daytona Beach on

i wouldn't eat it. it has eggs in it, right? nope wouldn't eat it. i also don't care if the food cools off or not. mostly i will put it in when we are done eating.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.J.

answers from Lincoln on

I'm with Jaycee on the food danger zone being 40 to 141. I am constantly lecturing my mom about this. When I worked at Taco Bell and we would close for the night we would pack the leftover meat in ice to get it to go from over 160 down to a cold temperature. The point of this was to get it through the food danger zone as fast as possible.

Again, I'm with Jaycee that when you have a food such as a crockpot item that you should place it in a smaller container that is not hot to help it cool faster.

Glad I don't work at Taco Bell and am going to be a teacher, but I did learn something! everyone should listen to Jaycee's post!! :-)

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.M.

answers from New York on

No! According to the health department room temperature is in the danger zone for promoting food poisoning. Throw it out.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.T.

answers from New York on

No, you cannot eat cooked eggs that have sat out of the fridge again. Food does not have to be cooled to go in the fridge, that's advice from when I was a kid 40 years ago. Food should not be out for more than an hour total from the time it's done cooking.

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

yes, the quiche or ANY food for that matter needs to be cooled completely before putting it in the refrigerator - however, it still needs to properly stored while on the counter - lid slightly "off"....

I personally would not eat a quiche left out overnight. I'm sure there are those that would - but I personally would not...the exception to this would be if you kept your house COLD - like 68degrees or lower....then I'd consider it...but overall? nope...cheese, milk, egg...not worth the samonella risk to me.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.D.

answers from Kansas City on

Prepared food is supposed to be above 141 or below 40 to be safe (according to Food Handlers Class you have to take to work around food). The less time spent in this "Danger Zone" the better. Restaraunts either have to keep something above 141, or cool it as quick as possible - which means they put warm/hot food in the cooler all the time. So...refrigerate it as soon as you can, right after you both get your dinner! Cooling it quickly in the fridge makes it safer. The only caveat is that your fridge has to work slightly harder for a little while until the hot food gets cold.

That said, I know people that leave stuff like that out all the time and they are never sick because of it. I guess they figure if it is cooked through, it should be safe. Then again, they believe NOTHING should ever be wasted - especially food.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

NO WAY. Don't eat it.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.B.

answers from New York on

yes u will have to throw it out...but on another note i come from a trini background and we cook food early and have it out all day and sometimes i cook food late and put it in the fridge, not piping hot, but not completely cooled either, and me and my family are still here and never get sick from doing that :)...maybe it's a caribbean thing...just like we like wash and clean all our meats before cooking and eating it!! :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.H.

answers from New York on

Yes, you need to throw it out, and no, you don't have to let things cool off completely before placing them in the fridge! In fact, you should put them in as soon as possible, since bacteria grows best in heated environments.

Your husband probably got that idea from something perhaps his grandmother (or mother) used to do, and that might have had to do with them using thin glass containers for the food (those might crack if they went from hot to cold quickly)?? I'm just guessing. My advice? Put the leftovers in the fridge yourself. As irrational as your husband's conviction might be, it is a firm conviction, as you've stated, and you're not going to change his mind. It'll be much much easier, and better for your marriage if you just take over this responsibility yourself.

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions