Which is better, leaving food on the counter to cool, or putting them in the refrigerator to cool ASAP?

Question

My roommates mother told her that putting food in the frig too quickly will cause food poising, but my mother always said to put it in the frig as soon as possible.
I know you are always suppose to listen to your mother, but which one do you listen to?
A link to a good source would go a long way to proving who is correct.

Answer 1

Food can't sit out for more than two hours due to food safety standards. It's not great to put boiling hot foods into a fridge because it brings down the temperature of the entire fridge and risks spoiling the other food that is in the fridge and leaving it open to bacteria production. Let food cool down on the counter (no more than two hours) and then place in the fridge.

Answer 2

Your mom is right, according to the FDA.

Reality Check: Should hot leftovers cool at room temperature?

THE CLAIM

Hot leftovers should cool at room temperature.

THE FACTS

What to do with leftovers? One common bromide is that leftovers stored in the refrigerator must be allowed to cool first at room temperature.

The reasoning behind the claim varies. One theory is that allowing food to cool at a slower rate reduces the likelihood that it will spoil. Another suggests that hot food can somehow interfere with the circulation of cold air in the refrigerator. The notion may have originated when food was stored in iceboxes, and thus could not be too hot when put away.

Whatever the rationale, the claim is wrong. According to the Food and Drug Administration, leftover food (particularly meat) should be refrigerated immediately after serving, and certainly within two hours of cooking.

Food bacteria can double every 30 to 40 minutes, and several outbreaks of food poisoning have been linked to meat cooked and left to cool at room temperature for too long.

Generally, the bacteria that contaminate food thrive at temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees, so leftovers should always be stored in a refrigerator set at 40 degrees or below.

When the quantity of food is large, it should be separated into small containers for quicker cooling, and reheated no more than once.

THE BOTTOM LINE

It's a bad idea to let food sit at room temperature before refrigerating.

-- The New York Times

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/299...

But if you believe in compromise, do this:

put some cold water in the sink (but not high enough to overflow into the pan), set the hot pan in it for about five minutes, stirring the food occasionally, then put it in the fridge. This will speed up the chilling process. This is particularly helpful if the hot food is soup.

Answer 3

The operative word in this process is "rapidly"
Food needs to be both brought down from temp and returned to temp as rapidly as possible.
The argument against placing hot food in a cold refrigerator is that doing so will raise the inside temp of the refrigerator to the point where it will place all the other food in it in peril. Normally a refrigerator is 34-38 degrees so you can see that it wouldn't take a whole of lot heat to push it above 40 degrees and into the Food Danger Zone [40-140F ]
The argument against leaving it out is that doing so allows the food to spend too much time in the Danger Zone before it can refrigerated
The solution is an ice water bath.
Place the food in the vessel that it was cooked in an ice water bath.
If liquid, stir often to dissipate the heat rapidly
When a temp of about 60 degrees is reached ,refrigerate.
Not all foods have the same potential for food borne illness ,But as a rule low acid, low salt, high protein foods have the greatest potential ,so treat them with the greatest care.

Answer 4

I either do the ice bath or wait 5 minutes and in the frig. I cant tell you how many times I've forgotten and 3 hours later it's still on the counter and I have to throw it out. Guess it depends on your discipline. If it is hot, I place it away from other foods in the frig.

Answer 5

The key to cooling leftovers is to cool the food as quickly as possible to below 41 degrees. Putting the food in the fridge while still hot is okay. The best thing is to leave it uncovered until it has had time to cool. So when putting leftovers in the fridge in the resealable containers (tuperware, glade, etc...), leave the lid off until it has had enough time to cool below 41 degrees. Putting the lid on hot food is what will cause potential bacteria growth because the steam of the food gets trapped inside the container and thus a greater potential for bacteria to grow.

So go right ahead and put hot food in fridge just don't cover it until it has had time to cool. The water bath works and is probably the best thing to do if you are trying to cool down a large amount of food, but for just normal leftovers the water bath isn't necessary.

Answer 6

I always wait like an hour before putting hot food in the frig especially if its still very hot,I was always told that really hot food will make the temp in the frig go down.But like you said you are suppose to listen to your mother.

Answer 7

You do need to let it cool down first a bit before sticking it in the fridge. Hot hot foods bring down the temp of the whole fridge, overwork the motor, and could spoil everything else in there. Same goes for freezers. Give it about an hour or so on the counter top, then even if it's a bit warm (not down to room temp), stick it in the fridge or freezer.

Answer 8

putting hot food in the fridge doesn't cause food poisoning. It heats up the food near it . You never leave food on the counter to cool. Ask any health department. It's always better to put in the fridge asap.

Answer 9

Roomie's ma is right - cool on the counter up to an hour, then refridgerate.

Answer 10

It doesnt matter either way fridge if your ina hurry but its best to let it cool naturally.