Should I wait for cold food to be put in the refrigerator?

Even if you reheat food from the previous night, it's more dangerous than you think.

The party is over. Everyone has gone home. You startled awake and feel just want to rush right into the kitchen. You may still be making up for tangled hair and you don't even see the road, but one thing is certain: You're starving. You have eyes, you look for food in vain, even madly - then suddenly you see it. In that place, a radiant beauty, was a cardboard box with the remaining pieces of cheese stuck on it, a piece of pizza left from last night: no need to heat up. Festival!

It sounds like a happy ending story - but these horrible sad words from USDA's US Department of Agriculture will extinguish it completely.If leftovers are left outside for more than two hours, experts say it's best not to touch it.

If leftovers are left outside for more than two hours, experts say it's best not to touch it.

But two hours is still a very long time - and cooling sometimes affects the quality of food. But exactly how long is it too long for the "next day dinner" to become dangerous? Will you risk choosing food poisoning in exchange for flavor?

A guy at Reddit would love to get the answer."My girlfriend always believed that having leftovers at her restaurant cool to room temperature to be put in the fridge , " the guy nicknamed "AMA or GTFO" posted on the scientific inquiry community of Reddit. "She said that this keeps the taste better and prevents bacteria from arising. Is it true?"

Scientists, food safety experts, and chefs still consider this problem: Some people stand by and wait for cooling, including a former chef that he thinks is the main culprit condensation. When hot food is cooled too quickly - especially things that are covered - moisture in the container can damage the surface of the food as well as increase the risk of bacteria.

When hot food is cooled too quickly, it can damage the surface of food and increase the risk of bacteria.

So far, most of the answers given to the above friends have pointed out the importance of bacterial precautions and the faster you put food in the cabinet, the better. A reddit member, who is a food scientist, explained this process:

"After being cooked as usual, the bacteria in the food enter a state called " thermal shock . " In this stage, the bacteria are in a state of survival, which means most of the energy. They are used to keep cells alive, not to reproduce, and soon after they experience heat shock, at some point, the bacteria will begin to return to life. Bacterial conditions such as pH, temperature, nutrient supply . It can be immediately after 30 minutes, or up to an hour or even a day ".

These pathogens leave harmful substances, which can make you sick or even cause death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in six Americans - about 48 million people - gets food poisoning every year. 128,000 people will have to go to the hospital, and 3,000 of them will die from foodborne illnesses.

Although your cold outside food may not take you to the hospital - and many of us are not at all happy about eating the last piece of pizza left from last night - it's best to choose safer way. In other words:
"Then should I put the food in the fridge immediately or wait for it to cool down before I can go on it?