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Original poster

What's this on my bolognese (pic)?

79 replies

mambojambodothetango · 12/09/2023 07:31

Made a bolognese yesterday evening, it was on and off hob for a while as I was cooking other things, lid was on and off. Too hot to refrigerate last night so left it on stove top with lid on overnight. What are these yellow bits on the surface? Just crystallised fat? Not fly eggs, I hope???? With the heat we've had food spoiled in last few days so I'm paranoid. Any thoughts?

What's this on my bolognese (pic)?
OP posts:
InterFactual · 12/09/2023 10:05

OP it's important to remember that as we age we become less able to fight off bad bacteria from food and we're far more likely to get sick from it the older we get. You may want to revise your storage methods as time goes on.

BetsyBobbins · 12/09/2023 10:19

mambojambodothetango · 12/09/2023 07:36

Even if it's heated up thoroughly?

Sure, if you want to have food poisoning and Gif knows what else go for it 👍🏼

apric0t · 12/09/2023 10:28

It's a total myth you can't put hot food directly in the fridge! I make my bolognaise, eat half of it and put the other half straight in sealed Tupperware in the fridge

Iudncuewbccgrcb · 12/09/2023 10:41

newnamethanks · 12/09/2023 08:29

Refrigerators in houses were reasonably uncommon until the 1970s. Roast on Sunday, cold leftovers on Monday, remnants cooked as shepherds pie or similar on Tuesday. Most of us lived.

These fridgeless houses also didn't have central heating or double glazing. They usually had (as a mininum) a cool pantry area where things were kept.

Any leftovers would have been kept at a far lower temperature outside a fridge than modern houses.

Unusualactualname · 12/09/2023 11:07

InterFactual · 12/09/2023 10:05

OP it's important to remember that as we age we become less able to fight off bad bacteria from food and we're far more likely to get sick from it the older we get. You may want to revise your storage methods as time goes on.

In addition, I reckon we are less resistant to bugs than we were 50 years ago.

Araminta34 · 12/09/2023 11:12

I wouldn't eat that. It should have been put in the fridge overnight. If I forget to put leftovers in the fridge, I bin them.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 12/09/2023 11:13

newnamethanks · 12/09/2023 08:29

Refrigerators in houses were reasonably uncommon until the 1970s. Roast on Sunday, cold leftovers on Monday, remnants cooked as shepherds pie or similar on Tuesday. Most of us lived.

Houses had built in larders which were freezing, food wasn't just left out on the side.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 12/09/2023 11:16

My grandmother's larder was SO chilly,on hot days my sister I used to sit in there to cool down!

fridaynight1 · 12/09/2023 11:29

It’s fat. You probably used a high fat content mince and didn’t burn it off enough when you made it.
I’m horrified that you think it’s ok to eat meat that has been left to cool on the hob and left out all night 😱
Lids don’t stop bacteria growing- flies laying eggs are the least of your worries.
Bin it and put any leftovers in the fridge asap next time.
And buy a lower fat content mince - your arteries will thank you.

CosyCoffee · 12/09/2023 11:31

Fat is not bad for you, that's outdated thinking. And you can't 'burn it off' by cooking.

BlackJumpsuit · 12/09/2023 11:36

It's fat that's been discoloured by the tomato!

andrainwillmaketheflowersgrow · 12/09/2023 11:45

I wouldn't eat it, not because of what it looks like - but because it's been sat in a cast iron pan with the lid on all night, with all the heat trapped for hours so that bacteria can breed.

If you'd stored it properly it would be different.

theveryhungrybum · 12/09/2023 11:54

I can't imagine why anyone would leave food out overnight. Allow to cool, put in the fridge.

Newtrix · 12/09/2023 12:13

Celticdawn5 · 12/09/2023 07:41

and like a pp , I’m usually quite lax about food and happily eat stuff out of date etc but I wouldn’t eat a meat sauce left out all night

Same here! Very lax but never anything left out over night.

Redlarge · 12/09/2023 12:40

mambojambodothetango · 12/09/2023 07:36

Even if it's heated up thoroughly?

Do not eat this. You should have put it in the fridge

You can add a couple of ice cubes and stir to bring thr temp down or divide into smaller tubs.

ParentingSolo · 12/09/2023 13:01

Don't eat it if it's been left out of the fridge more than hour. That's when heat resistant bacteria begins to grow! (Former chef and this was the first thing I learnt on day 1 at catering school!)

ParentingSolo · 12/09/2023 13:03

CosyCoffee · 12/09/2023 08:21

I made a chilli with beef mince last week when it was very warm weather and it was accidentally left out overnight (with a lid on), then refrigerated. I ate a portion last night and froze the remaining portion. It wouldn't be my ideal food hygiene scenario and I wouldn't serve it to others, but I made sure it was piping hot and I'm currently feeling fine.

If it contained chicken on the other hand I would chuck it.

If you'd been inclined enough to put some of that chilli under a microscope I can assure you, you wouldn't have eaten it! 🤢🤮

ParentingSolo · 12/09/2023 13:07

newnamethanks · 12/09/2023 08:29

Refrigerators in houses were reasonably uncommon until the 1970s. Roast on Sunday, cold leftovers on Monday, remnants cooked as shepherds pie or similar on Tuesday. Most of us lived.

No, most died of dysentery, salmonella & listeria poisoning, pregnancies lost due to acute food poisoning and babies died in infancy but back then, these things weren't tested for in the same way they are now, so it all would've been logged as something else!

If you think refrigeration is unnecessary then I expect you don't have a fridge sat in your kitchen?

Oh you do? Interesting

ParentingSolo · 12/09/2023 13:08

Prettypaisleyslippers · 12/09/2023 08:33

I hat % fat was the mince? It looks like fat. If it had been covered I would refrigerate and then reheat. I left my bolognaise to cook from 2200 to 6am, it had lid on, then put it in fridge this morning.

Have you never heard of temperature-resistant bacteria? 🤦🏼‍♀️

LaCerbiatta · 12/09/2023 13:10

That will be absolutely fine to eat, specially if you finished cooking at 10.30pm. What a waste for it to be thrown away 🙁

It think people are so obsessed dettoling everything, not eating anything that slightly broke one of the food higiene rules that they then have no tolerance and get food poisoning all the time

Squidger45 · 12/09/2023 13:15

It's just fat. I'd heat it and eat it 🤷🏼‍♀️

AdoraBell · 12/09/2023 13:17

I would say fat. When I chill or freeze bolognaise the fat solidifies and due to the tomatoes it’s usually orange.

PickAChew · 12/09/2023 13:20

I always find the fat on that sort of sauce to be bright orange from the tomatoes.

cherryassam · 12/09/2023 13:24

I thought I was getting really bad IBS flares from nerves at my in laws when I first started visiting with my now DH. No, I just was getting a bad stomach from my MiL’s less than stellar food hygiene purposes. The rest of them don’t seem to be affected as badly, probably cause they’ve developed a much stronger stomach than me during their childhood.

I drew a line at being served beef ragu that had been out of the fridge for 72 hours!!

I recognise that I am probably too far the other way on food hygiene, but I think it’s poor form to serve guests food that you know is likely, based on history, to make them feel not 100%

(not that this is what you’re doing op, just the thread brought up raw experiences of ragu and in laws!)

Mountainsandlakes · 13/09/2023 07:24

LaCerbiatta · 12/09/2023 13:10

That will be absolutely fine to eat, specially if you finished cooking at 10.30pm. What a waste for it to be thrown away 🙁

It think people are so obsessed dettoling everything, not eating anything that slightly broke one of the food higiene rules that they then have no tolerance and get food poisoning all the time

I'd disagree. This really is food hygeine basics. And I'm certainly not obsessive regarding cleaning.