MIL DOESN'T REFRIGERATE ANYTHING - AIBU?

[TooManyDustyCandles]

Was staying with my (very lovely) MIL last week
She is great but doesn't refrigerate cooked food! She will cook a Sunday roast, make a couple of extra dinners for the next day, and leave the whole lot (beef, potatoes, gravy, veg) with a bit of foil loosely over the top, just sitting on the side, to have the next day.

Or she will do a food shop at lunchtime for dinner that evening, say a pizza, and not put it in the fridge, as she's just going to heat it up later!

Is it a generational thing. DP says she's always done it and none of them ever got sick!

My Grandma the same,. never ill!

Is she reheating all this food well in the microwave? Because that will kill most things.

Might be a generational thing? I have two great aunts who have never owned fridges. They've never got ill either. I guess it's not a problem if no one is getting food poisoning from it?

Wouldn't bother me. I cover lasagnes etc with foil and leave out for next day. I'm never ill either.

YABU.

If she was leaving it out for a week I could see your point.

I'd refrigerate leftover meat but can't really see what harm can come to cooked vegetables that are left out of the fridge.

Also with the pizza, it's only unrefrigerated for a matter of hours. I do this all the time. No biggie.

I do this. If I've made a big batch of stew, or curry, and only use one portion of it, I'll leave the pot of food on the hob to be reheated for lunch the next day, especially if i've run out of Tupperware. It's not a point of principle, I'm just lazy as sin.

I was born in the eighties.

I do similar things. Never get stomach bugs or anything.

Yes she reheats it, and I made damn sure I blitzed the bejesus out of any leftovers I had! It just seems weird to me right now especially, with a baby in the middle of weaning, where you do go into food hygiene overdrive!

I got used to doing this when I had a big walk in larder but a stupid small fridge.

I don't think most things come to harm being left at room temperature, tbh. Often leave curries, stews etc in a big pot on the side.

Wouldn't do the same with rice and fish but everything else is ok in my book.

My grandmother was the same, only had a fridge when I was a teenager.
She had the cellar and the pantry, both cool, and didn't have central heating.
But she shopped most days.

I do that too, never had food poisining.

House quite cool though.

For some people, fridges are for milk and meat.

My MIL doesn't refrigerate butter because "it makes it too cold to spread", (she might have a point!) and consequently DH leaves the milk out all day if I don't put it away who wants warm milk?

I think it prob is a generational thing. I have to remind myself to put leftovers in the fridge. Keep hot things hot & cold things cold is how it's supposed to be. But I wouldn't stress about it. I certainly wouldn't worry about pizza left out for a few hours.

If butter is in a proper dish it doesn't need refrigerating, and as for crazies who put eggs in the fridge . . . . . . . well it just takes up room that could be occupied by a bottle of white wine.

My mum isn't big on refridgeration, but has never killed anyone (to my knowledge)
Meat is left out, so is lots of other stuff that I would def have in the fridge.

No drinks are allowed in the fridge AT ALL, except milk.
Orange Juice etc is all in the cupboard open

I do seem to remember being very hyper-aware when DD was weaning though, as to what actually went into her mouth.

When I was growing up we didn't have a fridge till I was about 10.
Milk was delivered to the doorstep and kept in a bucket of water. Food shopping was little and often. We were fine.

If the food is properly covered and thoroughly reheated then it should be OK.

Totally agree with leaving the butter out! What's the point of having real butter if you can't spread huge amounts of it on your toast?

We don't have a fridge or a freezer at the moment Roll on next week...although by then I may have adapted to life without!

"Or she will do a food shop at lunchtime for dinner that evening, say a pizza, and not put it in the fridge, as she's just going to heat it up later! "

I do that. Aside from anything else, it saves energy: what's the point in driving something at room temperature (~20C) down to fridge temperature (~4C) and then back up again as part of cooking it? What's going to happen to a pizza, kept at room temperature for a few hours, that's going to be cooked anyway?

And meat I take out of the fridge in the morning and cook in the evening: that way it's at room temperature when cooked and cooks faster and more evenly.

I think it is a generational thing as my mum does it. I suppose years ago people didn't have central housing so their houses were cool. It would probably be alright in winter but I wouldn't want to chance it in summer. I would also probably leave something out for a few hours if it was going to be cooked later.

I agree it's a generational thing. I'm another who never puts butter in the fridge, too.

I have a pantry with slate shelves, on a North wall. The butterdish, eggs and hard cheese live in there.

My kitchen is always cold anyway as I have the windows open and the radiator off.

Butter and eggs kept in the cupboard. I hate cold butter.

Oh I miss my larder.

Faced east with marble shelves, it was wonderful.