Why do soups and teas go bad and unsafe to drink if left out in room temperature for a few hours but it’s perfectly safe to drink a glass of water left out overnight?

Question

Wouldn’t bacteria also grow in the water left out and release toxins?

In: 43

Answer 1

After reading some comments, I feel that I must interject with the official food safety guidelines:

Food that requires temperature control for safety (read: “Perishable”, which is a whole new discussion involving carbon content, water content, pH, and a few other things) has a bad window of 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. It can only be considered safe if it is in that window for less than 4 hours. After 4 hours, it might be safe, but you can’t be sure.

TLDR: Between 40 and 140 for 4 hours (the rule of fours).

Regarding OP: drinking water is generally considered non-perishable because it doesn’t have enough nutrients to support sufficient bacterial growth to cause disease.