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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to eat the dinner I left out accidentally overnight?

116 replies

WattThreeWords · 09/09/2026 11:44

Gnocchi bake. Gnocchi, pepper, olive oil, tomatoes.

Out of oven 8pm. Realised at 6.30am I hadn’t put in fridge, so put it back then.

AIBU to heat it up for dinner tonight?

YABU - it’s full of toxins and you’re going to thrown your guts up

YANBU - don’t waste that delicious dinner. Heat it up and enjoy

OP posts:
wheelhouse1717 · 09/09/2026 15:24

Soverymuchfruit · 09/09/2026 15:02

... but you don't get food poisoning from salad leaves from leaving them out, you get it from not washing them properly.

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You absolutely can and do get food poisoning from not refrigerating (pre-cut) salad leaves. You can also get it from eating them when they’re beginning to spoil or, as you say, by not washing them.

Bacteria will grow on gnocchi and vegetables which have been cut and left out.

BeWittyRobin · 09/09/2026 15:08

Now for myself and my family I would. However if I had guests I wouldn’t. Reason being myself and kids have stomachs of steel from years of my cooking it’s almost like we’ve developed a real life super power 🙈🤣 xx

Soverymuchfruit · 09/09/2026 15:02

wheelhouse1717 · 09/09/2026 14:54

Harmful bacteria doesn’t just grow on meat, cheese and rice. The last time I had food poisoning it was from salad leaves.

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... but you don't get food poisoning from salad leaves from leaving them out, you get it from not washing them properly.

Soverymuchfruit · 09/09/2026 15:02

My DH always leaves our leftovers out to cool down before putting in the fridge, sometimes remembers to put them in just before bed, usually doesn't. We always eat them. It had never occurred to me this was "grim" in the slightest. Perfectly fine.

Our food is all vegan. But so is the meal you're talking about. Those saying to chuck it are bonkers.

giddyboo · 09/09/2026 14:57

I'd eat it. My mum used to make a Sunday dinner for us all and make spare dinners that would be kept in the oven for Monday tea every week. We all ate them and were fine. Also we have pizza that we eat the next day thats put in the oven or microwave. Same with Chinese food. As long as its heated to a high temperature before its eaten I think its ok.

daisyydaisyy · 09/09/2026 14:55

I never eat anything I’ve left out and because I’m slack as a bag of knackers I do it all the time, and get pissed off with myself every time. 🤣

wheelhouse1717 · 09/09/2026 14:54

TwisterSpice · 09/09/2026 11:54

Food poisoning from what exactly? There’s no meat, cheese or rice in the dish.

Edit: I’m usually quite strict on things like this but I would eat this no problem.

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Harmful bacteria doesn’t just grow on meat, cheese and rice. The last time I had food poisoning it was from salad leaves.

Savvysix1984 · 09/09/2026 14:30

I would eat it.

nutbrownhare15 · 09/09/2026 14:25

I'd make sure it was piping hot and eat it. I think the only things you need to be really careful of are rice and meat products

Original poster
WattThreeWords · 09/09/2026 14:22

AbsintheMakesTheHeartGrowFonder · 09/09/2026 13:58

Could you get food poisoning? Yes.

Will you get food poisoning? Almost certainly not. The risk with a dish like that, to a healthy person, is really tiny.

I think this sums up my thinking, thank you!

OP posts:
KaleidoscopeSmile · 09/09/2026 14:13

AbsintheMakesTheHeartGrowFonder · 09/09/2026 13:58

Could you get food poisoning? Yes.

Will you get food poisoning? Almost certainly not. The risk with a dish like that, to a healthy person, is really tiny.

This is MN though, where everyone's frightened of their doorbell FFS, let alone unrefrigerated food

Scoooobydooo · 09/09/2026 14:01

I do this most of the time with any food including meat. Usually not cool enough to put in fridge before I go to bed. Never been ill. Obviously not if you live in the tropics.

AbsintheMakesTheHeartGrowFonder · 09/09/2026 13:58

Could you get food poisoning? Yes.

Will you get food poisoning? Almost certainly not. The risk with a dish like that, to a healthy person, is really tiny.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 09/09/2026 13:58

Here in London it was quite cool overnight. Presumably the OP didn't have the heating on. The gnocchi would have cooled down quite quickly once out of the oven. However, I assume it was uncovered. That would bother me more than the temperature.

Alittlefrustrated · 09/09/2026 13:56

I'd ensure piping hot and eat it, but not serve to anyone else.

GrumpyOldCrone · 09/09/2026 13:53

I would eat it because I wouldn’t want to waste it. However, I would not share it with my elderly mother or any other vulnerable person because it is definitely a food poisoning risk.

Goldensprat · 09/09/2026 13:49

I'd do it and I'd also do it if it contained meat or cheese or basically anything as long as the texture hadn't been ruined somehow.

I've never had food poisoning so I'm probably overly cavalier. But really I don't think the risk of food poisoning is ever that high if the food smells normal and has been properly heated. It seems fairly random as to when people get it.

HussleMe · 09/09/2026 13:43

God yeah. I make chicken soup on a Sunday and leave it on the stove until it runs out.

DP (chef) gets the ick but it’s never killed me yet 🤣

4ly5ha · 09/09/2026 13:40

I do this all the time. With literally everything I cook. Hot food can’t go in the fridge anyway. Needs to cool down, and at that point I’m often zzz anyway. Rice pasta etc gets tidied in the morning all the time. I wouldn’t feed it to my baby but I have no qualms about myself or hubby. No never got sick either.

HumbleStumble · 09/09/2026 12:15

I would slowly heat it to a luke warm temp and then let it cool again to grow the bacteria more efficiently

Feejoah · 09/09/2026 12:10

You can get food poisoning from anything. Bacteria love a slow cool down and a night spent in a warm kitchen.

thoughtitwasright · 09/09/2026 12:08

No I wouldn't. Isn't there some kind of bacteria in pasta/rice etc that isn't destroyed by cooking? And @Megifer description of the sweaty gnocchi sounds accurate to me

Itllbereadysoon · 09/09/2026 12:08

TwisterSpice · 09/09/2026 11:54

Food poisoning from what exactly? There’s no meat, cheese or rice in the dish.

Edit: I’m usually quite strict on things like this but I would eat this no problem.

Edited
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They're not the only ingredients that can cause food poisoning. Plus if its a ready meal then it'll have preservatives in that deteriorate at room temperature. That's why they're stored on fridges. 😃

Lastqueenofscotland2 · 09/09/2026 12:06

veggie gnocchi? Absolutely yes

Howinthehelldidthishappen · 09/09/2026 12:06

I would absolutely eat it.