Eli5 why is it that food can be left in steamers and under heat warming lamps for hours but it harbors harmful bacteria if you leave it in a hot place like a car for a few hours?

Question

Eli5 why is it that food can be left in steamers and under heat warming lamps for hours but it harbors harmful bacteria if you leave it in a hot place like a car for a few hours?

In: 312

Answer 1

Certain temperature control. At very high temperatures, bacteria is killed (about 140°F +), and at cold temperatures (40°F or below), it doesn’t reproduce.

Anything in-between allows for rapid growth of harmful bacteria. I suppose if you had a thermometer in the car to ensure it was consistently above 140°F or below 40°F, it would be OK, but we don’t generally have that.