Anonymous wrote:In an attempt to get a head start on dinner last night, I boiled some fresh green beans that were going to be used in a pasta dish I was making later. Boiled them and put them in a bowl to let cool with the intention of putting them in the fridge after. Came down with a massive migraine and went to bed while Dh ordered take out for him/DS. Woke up this morning and green beans were still in bowl. Can I use them tonight? They don't appear to be moldy. Or should I just chuck them. TIA

The only foodstuff that I can think of that is likely to grow mold after an overnight stint on the countertop is the kind of cheese that gets fuzzy when you think about opening the package in its presence.

You absolutely can use these.

They're fine.

When I lived in Europe I noticed many Germans and French people left butter and eggs out on the counter. No self respecting French person would make an omelet with cold eggs. No reports of anyone getting sick. In fact, the food was so much better there.

Careful doing that with eggs here. When eggs are laid by the hen, they come out with a natural coating that preserves them for a week or two. The US government requires that the first thing commercial egg producers do is wash that coating off. So American store-bought eggs won't keep on the counter like natural ones will. Unless you're getting them straight from the farm and know they haven't been washed, keep your eggs in the fridge. (Or move to France.)

I would eat them, but I don't care really about food safety at all. If it looks, smells, and tastes good I eat it. Never check expiry dates, eat street meat, and leave things out overnight frequently. I have also never had food poisoning. I imagine one case of that would make me more cautious.

They're fine.

When I lived in Europe I noticed many Germans and French people left butter and eggs out on the counter. No self respecting French person would make an omelet with cold eggs. No reports of anyone getting sick. In fact, the food was so much better there.

Anonymous wrote:They're probably soggy. First, put them in an ice bath to try to shock some crisp back into them. It's a long shot, but it might help a little.
Then, preheat a skillet over medium high heat, swirl some olive oil, and give them a quick saute. Lightly salt and spritz with lemon.

OP here. while that sounds delicious they are actually better soggy in this particular recipe. It is an old favorite of his grandmother's and she used canned beans in it. Trying to be a little better by using fresh but DH swears by his grandmother's recipe so I don't dare try to crisp up the beans!!

Depends how much you want those green beans. Unless you're feeing them to a 90 year old or a baby, nobody is going to die.

Raw eggs are supposed to be dangerous but I believe less than 1 in 2000 will actully make you sick. If I have one awful night for every 400 times I eat chocolate mousse, I can totally live with that.

OP here. Totally conflicted as to what to do haha

I would eat those as a snack.

throw it away

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dunno guys, if you're gonna heat it up again, what exactly are you worried about? If you're not (like deli meat), okay I get it, but for geez sake, you can kill the extra bacteria pretty easily.

OP here. That's what I was thinking. I figured I'd just throw them in some boiling water before adding them to the pasta dish. Kill off any bacteria (I can't imagine too much would grow on green beans overnight) before I added it to the other food.

Well, one issue is botulism, which is a spore that releases a toxin. Boiling the food for several minutes (long enough to totally destroy your green beans) will break down the then-existing toxin, but the spores will survive and contnue producing toxins in the food as it cools (and a brief cook won't help much at all).

From wikipedia: "Botulism is uncommon because special, rarely obtained conditions are necessary for botulinum toxin production from C. botulinum spores, including an anaerobic, low-salt, low- acid, low-sugar environment at ambient temperatures."

and:

"Foodborne botulism results from contaminated foodstuffs in which C. botulinum spores have been allowed to germinate in anaerobic conditions. This typically occurs in home-canned food substances and fermented uncooked dishes."

Go ahead and worry. I'd be eating the beans.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I dunno guys, if you're gonna heat it up again, what exactly are you worried about? If you're not (like deli meat), okay I get it, but for geez sake, you can kill the extra bacteria pretty easily.

OP here. That's what I was thinking. I figured I'd just throw them in some boiling water before adding them to the pasta dish. Kill off any bacteria (I can't imagine too much would grow on green beans overnight) before I added it to the other food.

Well, one issue is botulism, which is a spore that releases a toxin. Boiling the food for several minutes (long enough to totally destroy your green beans) will break down the then-existing toxin, but the spores will survive and contnue producing toxins in the food as it cools (and a brief cook won't help much at all).

They're probably soggy. First, put them in an ice bath to try to shock some crisp back into them. It's a long shot, but it might help a little.
Then, preheat a skillet over medium high heat, swirl some olive oil, and give them a quick saute. Lightly salt and spritz with lemon.

What about the cooking process making them more likely to go bad? Raw beans are obviously outside for long periods.

I wouldn't eat meat or dairy that had been left out, but I think a cooed veg is ok!

Anonymous wrote:I dunno guys, if you're gonna heat it up again, what exactly are you worried about? If you're not (like deli meat), okay I get it, but for geez sake, you can kill the extra bacteria pretty easily.

OP here. That's what I was thinking. I figured I'd just throw them in some boiling water before adding them to the pasta dish. Kill off any bacteria (I can't imagine too much would grow on green beans overnight) before I added it to the other food.