Chef's vital reheating rule as man tragically dies from eating leftover pasta (2024)
As people are worrying about 'fried rice syndrome', this professional chef has an important rule for storing food that might save you from food poisoning
'Fried rice syndrome' is the nickname for a type of food poisoning which occurs in reheated foods like potatoes, pasta and rice. These dry foods contain a bacterium called Bacillus cereus which produces a toxin when heated and left out too long, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
One chef has spoken out about the "one sure-fire way of not being killed by your own food" he learned at work. "I learned to follow the 40, 140, 4 rule. Basically it means if you let your food sit for four hours between the temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, you need to throw it out. That's what restaurants are told to do." This translates to between 4.4C to 37.8C.
Jon Kung, a professional cook from Detroit, has 1.7 million followers on his TikTok channel, where he shares his cooking advice and recipes to people. "If I ate a grilled chicken breast that was fully cooked that had been sitting on my countertop for six hours, will I immediately die? Probably not. Will I get sick? Maybe. But I'm a pretty healthy individual. If I were elderly, immuno-compromised or very young that risk is higher. But for everyone, the longer you let that chicken sit there between 40 and 140 degrees, that risk goes up for everyone," he stated.
Many people were shocked to realise the risk of food poisoning. "I have no idea how I'm still alive. My parents broke this rule every single day of my childhood" one person said. Another person added: "This is actually more dependent on the power of your fridge these days. Modern ones can handle cooling down pretty warm food."
One person asked, "After cooking I thought we were supposed to let things cool down before refrigeration, I'm assuming that's above 140 then?" to which Kung responded "This is actually more dependent on the power of your fridge these days. Modern ones can handle cooling down pretty warm food."
How long do you leave pasta out before putting in the fridge?
'Fried rice syndrome' is the nickname for a type of food poisoning which occurs in reheated foods like potatoes, pasta and rice. These dry foods contain a bacterium called Bacillus cereus which produces a toxin when heated and left out too long, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The story, which was originally published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, details the Brussels, Belgium-based student's accidental death after eating meal-prepped spaghetti. According to the report, he cooked and stored the pasta on Sunday before later reheating and eating it five days later.
Eating pasta that's been sitting on the counter for five days may sound unappetizing to most people, but infections with Bacillus cereus — also referred to as "fried rice syndrome" — are not uncommon.
Fried rice syndrome is food poisoning caused by a bacterium known as Bacillus cereus (B.cereus). This microscopic germ likes to live on starchy foods like rice and pasta, but it can set up shop on nearly any food. All this bacterium needs is the right combination of time and improper temperature.
Here's more good news: If the thought of eating cold pasta doesn't appeal to you, reheating starchy foods that have been refrigerated maintains the added resistant starches that have formed. So you can cook, chill, reheat and enjoy, with similar health benefits.
Pasta can be reheated to no ill effect, but the key is in doing it well to avoid soggy pasta or a bowl of dried-up noodles. You also want to consider what's in the dish as you want to be careful not to overcook the proteins or vegetables, for example.
Anything perishable should go into the fridge within two hours. If perishables are sitting in temperatures of more than 90 degrees, the time limit to get them into the fridge goes down to one hour. Examples include leftovers, boiled or fried rice, pasta salad, cut fruit, and poultry, meat and seafood.
Keep some pasta water back to add to your pasta dish
As most chefs and home cooks know, when you drain your pasta, it's a good idea to keep back a cup of the cooking water to add to the sauce. Not only will this thicken the sauce, but it will also help it to stick to the pasta.
The Spaghetti Syndrome is not a new entity in critical care and anesthesia (1). With advances in monitoring and life-support, our most critically ill patients have become trapped in a sheer impenetrable net of wires and tubes, often resembling a plate of spaghetti.
You may have a gluten intolerance if you get sick after eating gluten, a type of protein. You might feel tired, nauseous or bloated. Another name for gluten intolerance is non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).
In Italy, the golden rule for cooking pasta is 1, 10, 100 or 1 liter of water, 10 grams of salt for every 100 grams of pasta. Converted for American cooks, the rule should be 1/3, 3, 30, referring to 1/3 oz of salt, 3 oz of pasta and 30 oz of water.
You can still achieve delicious reheated pasta. To achieve the perfect taste and texture, dump your pasta into a microwave-safe dish, and add a few drops of water or sauce. This will keep the pasta from sticking together and drying out.
If food has been hygienically prepared, cooled quickly after cooking (or reheating) and stored cold, reheating more than once should not increase the risk of illness. However, prolonged storage and repeated reheating will affect the taste, texture, and sometimes the nutritional quality of foods.
Rice and pasta can contain bacteria whose spores survive the cooking process. If boiled rice or pasta are left out at 12-14o C for a long time (more than 4-6 hours), it can become extremely dangerous to eat. At this temperature the spore producing bacteria can form heat resistant toxins.
Providing you have cooled your leftovers safely and kept them in the fridge, it is absolutely fine to eat your leftovers cold straight from the fridge…. However, if you like your leftovers warm, it's important that you reheat until piping hot throughout.
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Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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