My mom often makes a soup, keeps it in the fridge for over 10 days (it usually is left overnight on a turned off stove or crockpot before the fridge), then boils it and eats it. She insists it’s safe and has zero risk. I find it really gross because even if the bacteria are killed, they had to have made a lot of waste in the 10-15 days the soup sits and grows mold/foul right?!
But she insists its normal and I’m wrong. So can someone explain to me, someone with low biology knowledge, if it’s safe or not…and why she shouldn’t be doing this if she shouldn’t?
Every food safety guide implies you should throw soup out within 3-4 days to prevent getting ill.
Edit: I didn’t mean to be misleading with the words indefinitely either. I guess I should have used periodically boiling. She’ll do it every few days (then leave it out with no heat for at least 12 but sometimes up to 48 before a quick reboil and fridge).
In: Biology
Well if bacterial spores were in the soup, not a given, they can potentially survive the boiling. Sprout in the the soup and grow, releasing toxins that further boiling won’t eliminated (depends on the toxin, some are heat stable).
However it is possible to sterilize food and it can last quite a while and it is done with gamma radiation that kills all bacteria in meat for example while raw. That can last quite a while and be stored at room temperature if sealed in a way no bacteria can get in. I don’t know how long that meat remains good an some enzymes in the meat may break stuff down and it goes bad that way, but I haven’t looked into it to see if that is true. Anyway, canning is essentially similar. You kill everything, including spores if done right, and that canned food lasts a very very long time.
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