If meat must be kept at low or high temperatures in order to avoid growth of harmful bacteria, why is it safe to eat cold meat? Shouldn’t the temperature of our mouths bring the meat to a lukewarm temperature, thereby promoting the growth of harmful bacteria?

Question

If meat must be kept at low or high temperatures in order to avoid growth of harmful bacteria, why is it safe to eat cold meat? Shouldn’t the temperature of our mouths bring the meat to a lukewarm temperature, thereby promoting the growth of harmful bacteria?

In: Other

Answer 1

Sure, but it’s only at that temperature for like 30 seconds before it starts being digested. The point is to avoid letting food sit at a dangerous temperature for a substantial amounts of time that allow the bacterial population to increase to harmful levels.