Lunch time - just made chicken casserole to be eaten at 5:30pm - how do I store it between now and then??

[Thankyouandgoodnight]

It's obviously too hot to put in the fridge and is in the ideal pot to reheat it so ideally want to keep it in it. The pots I use however are made of clay and stay hot for ages. Will it be ok just sitting on the hob is I heat it to within an inch of its life later??

Yes - keep it where it is and it will be fine later on.

If you were using it tomorrow I would suggest moving it to another utensil, cooling as quickly as possible and keeping it in the fridge.

smashing

have you got a slow cooker? Pop it in that if you have and set it on low.

I'd never leave a chicken casserole hanging about at room temperature - asking for food poisoning. Transfer it to a cold container, cool it as quickly as possible and put it in the fridge.

I'd just keep it in a low oven until later.

Don't be daft Moshie.It's fine left out.

I hope you're not just showing off your domestic goddessness in front of us oh-shit-it's-7-oclock-wtf-is-there-in-the-freezer-to-eat brigade

Let it cool where it is, and heat it later. I doesn't need to go in the fridge.

The food poisoning worry comes from raw meat coming into contact with cooked. It is safer to keep it out of the fridge, tbh.

It will be absolutely fine for 5 hours. Goodness me! Did everybody succumb to food poisoning when we didn't have fridges?

If you are at all worried, cover it with foil, so that it doesn't come into contact with harmless airborne bacteria.

yes I'd leave it out, or in low oven all afternoon

Food poisoning is also a potential issue when things are cooled slowly. Keeping it in a clay pot as you describe it is going to retain it's heat and cool more slowly. I would have left it in the oven and let it continue cooking on a low heat.

I agree that the chances of food poinsoning are not high - but you can take measures to reduce those chances and I would (Either cool quickly in another container; or leave in oven as I suggest).

and as you said, heat it up REALLY well before you serve it later.

Surely - if it has just cooked all the possible food poisoning bugs are gone.

The worry is with raw meat being left at room temp (ie defrosting by just leaving out on counter, rather than in fridge or microwave), as the bugs may still be present and so can multiply v quickly.

Cooked food should be fine.

I very often cook a casserole or curry the night before, to be eaten for dinner the following day. My casserole pots are huge as witches cauldrons, so I just leave it on the hob with the lid on. However, my kitchen is quite chilly usually, on the occasions when i have the heating in full and the kitchen is warm i have put the pot in the garage so it keeps quite cool. No need to refrigerate or even decant, imho.

Some spores (especially teh really nasty ones like Clostridium) can remain viable for over 6hrs at boiling temp.

really?

Blardy hell

I have been lucky so far then

sit it in a sink of cold water, will cool it quickly. then fridge.

paranoia

it'll be absolutely fine. goodness me.

as I said risks are low...but you can do something to make them lower so why wouldn't you?

what happens in those hot countries where they eat food at room temperature? Greece etc.

Not necessarily SMS.

You only do something if the risks of exposure x the risk of harm are significant.

If they are not significant, then you go on with enjoying your life.

Depends who you are Scienceteacher....if you work for our SHE department they insist that we move to alternatives to remove the risk even though it is a PITA for us....

crikey, didn't mean to start a row.

food hygeine advice