The truth about storing warm food in the fridge: Expert’s answer divides thousands – but science is on her side

An expert has finally settled the debate over whether hot food should be kept in the refrigerator.

Mary Futher, also known as Madame Sweat online, previously fell victim to the same old wives’ tale: putting hot food in the refrigerator can breed bacteria.

However, the truth is that putting hot food in the refrigerator is not only safe, but it is actually encouraged by health professionals to prevent illness.

‘Don’t leave food on the counter. “If you left it out for more than two hours, you might as well throw it in the trash,” Ms. Futher said.

“The sooner you put it in the refrigerator, the better.”

Ms Futher also suggested using smaller containers to store food as they cool more quickly.

‘Make sure your leftovers are placed in a shallow dish. Don’t put a big gigantic dish in the refrigerator because it will take longer to cool.’

Better health Victoria dictates that food should be covered and stored immediately once the steam stops rising to prevent the growth of bacteria and food poisoning.

However, food straight from the stove should never be placed in the refrigerator as this can increase the internal temperature by more than 5 degrees Celsius, putting anything in the refrigerator at risk of developing bacteria.

Thousands were divided over Ms Futher’s revelation, with some putting forward their side of the story.

“I always leave hot or hot food on the counter for about 30 minutes so it doesn’t affect the temperature in the fridge,” one person said.

“Growing up with my mother, I would leave all the food in the jars overnight, and we would eat it the next day. No one ever got sick,” one woman said.

“I learned to let it cool, not because of bacteria, but because the temperature changes can negatively affect other foods in the fridge,” wrote another.

Dr. Joe Whittington is an emergency room doctor from the US

Dr. Joe Whittington also recently revealed that leaving starchy foods like rice and pasta on a counter at room temperature for just two hours can make you very sick.

The American emergency room doctor commented on a case in which a 20-year-old student died of ‘fried rice syndrome’ after eating leftover pasta that had been left for five days.

This type of food poisoning is caused by Bacillus cereus, a spore-forming bacterium that produces toxins that cause vomiting and diarrhea.

The bacteria is widespread in raw rice and pasta, and some spores remain even after the food has been cooked.

“Don’t make food, put it in a container and leave it on your counter for a week,” Dr. Whittington warned on the back of the case.

‘Never eat pasta or rice that has been left at room temperature for more than two hours.’

a Scientist from McGill University revealed that a colony of the bacterium can double in size within 20 minutes if kept at 30°C; the only way to reduce the risk of illness is to eat your food as soon as possible after cooking.

If that is not possible, they recommend storing hot dishes above 60 degrees Celsius and cold dishes below 5 degrees Celsius.

The Australian Food Standards Authority revealed that symptoms usually begin one to 16 hours after eating contaminated food, but that most people with healthy immune systems should recover within 48 hours.

Foods at higher risk of contamination include pre-cooked starchy foods such as rice, pasta and breakfast cereals.

Pre-cooked mixed dishes, especially spicy dishes, are also at risk.

Although most people have only mild symptoms and recover quickly (within a day or less), people with weak immune systems can become seriously ill.