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I don't think they do, my wife says otherwise. I don't think the speed the leftovers cools effects the quality.

2007-03-19 06:12:21 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Food & Drink Cooking & Recipes

14 answers

No, do not let leftovers cool BEFORE you refrigerate them. In fact you want to get them cold as fast as possible. Food safety codes in restaurants say to cool food down to 40 Fahrenheit in two hours or less. The reason for this is...the longer food spends above 40 and below 160 Fahrenheit, the more bacteria will grow. Most bacteria will die above 160 and any that is there will not grow below 40. The official recommendations are to put food in a shallow pan, about 2 inches deep, put in the fridge and then stir it occasionally so that it cools as evenly and quickly as possible.
As far as is the cooling time effects the quality? Kinda depends on how good and what it was when it started ;-)
All food will continue to cook until it cools thoroughly so things like meats and veggies will continue to get softer. Pastas will really soak up liquids until they cool so if a pasta dish cools fast it will be better.

2007-03-19 06:25:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

They need to cool a little bit. Otherwise hot food in the fridge will raise the ambient temp and other cold foods will get too warm. Plus, if it's too hot, the container may break due to the dramatic temp change. It's OK to leave leftovers out for a little while to cool first.

2007-03-19 06:16:21 · answer #2 · answered by chefgrille 7 · 1 0

It's not necessary for a food to be completely cool before it's refrigerated but that depends on the amount of food. If you put large amounts of hot or warm food in the refridgerator before it´s cool then it will create lots of condensation and raise the temperature of your fridge to a very unsafe level. So, in a way, you are both right.

2007-03-19 06:23:28 · answer #3 · answered by kirene45 3 · 0 0

Food service sanitation demands cooling foods rapidly to refrigerate.
Putting a hot pan in a refrigerator is unwise, as it gives the refrigerator a warm environment to grow bacteria.
Likewise, food should be placed in shallow storage containers, so that it may cool quickly and get in there to refrigerate.
Picture the inside of the big deep storage container. You feel the outside and it feels nice and cool to the touch and you might think all is ok. But the truth is, deep inside it may still feel like the tropics, and bacteria may start to quickly grow.
Anywhere it is warm, there you will find bacteria as well.

2007-03-19 06:19:24 · answer #4 · answered by Sue L 4 · 0 0

I say yes. For one reason in particular. When you put a piping hot tub of food in your refrigerator you are making your refrigerator warm on the inside. Then all the while your leftovers are cooling, the items that need to stay cold are warming possibly spoiling them sooner than expected.

2007-03-19 06:16:41 · answer #5 · answered by erin c 3 · 0 0

yes, they do.

if you put them in hot, they will cool from the outside into the center leaving a prime environment for bacteria to spawn and grow.. while it's cooling prior to the fridge, it should be stirred to keep the cooling even.

your wife is correct

most likely, you'd at worst get some food poisoning... a day or two of 'the runs'

(the proper way is in a cold water bath)

2007-03-19 06:17:20 · answer #6 · answered by bilko_ca 5 · 0 0

I always let my food cool to just about room temperature before I put it in the frig because, everything in there is cold and the temperature changes when you put something hot in there. The only time I do otherwise is if a recipe calls for it and I put it on a shelf all by itself.

2007-03-19 06:17:19 · answer #7 · answered by eehco 6 · 0 0

I guess it would depend on the food and the temperature; If it's too hot and stored in a container, the mixture of cool from the fridge and heat from the container could blow up...For health reasons, I'd try to get poultry and fish as soon as they almost reach room temp.

2007-03-19 06:22:50 · answer #8 · answered by sweet ivy lyn 5 · 0 0

Not Really. I kind of helps but in a home I think you'll be okay putting it in the fridge immediately. It brings down the temp in the fridge about 2-4 degrees.

2007-03-19 06:37:01 · answer #9 · answered by Texan 2 · 0 0

I let the food cool down before I refrigerate it simply because I feel it's not good to drastically change the temperature of foods like that. They taste wierd.

2007-03-19 06:19:14 · answer #10 · answered by ☺SDgurl☺ 3 · 0 0

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