Ripped parts of the post:

The bacteria is best known for causing a type of food poisoning called “Fried Rice Syndrome,” since rice is sometimes cooked and left to cool at room temperature for a few hours. During that time, the bacteria can contaminate it and grow. B. cereus is especially dangerous because it produces a toxin in rice and other starchy foods that is heat resistant and may not die when the food it infects is cooked.

And

Unfortunately, that was the case for a 20-year-old student, who passed away after eating five-day-old pasta.

His story was described in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology a few years back, but has since resurfaced due to some YouTube videos and Reddit posts. According to article, every Sunday the student would make his meals for the entire week so he wouldn’t need to deal with making it on the weekdays. One Sunday, he cooked up some spaghetti, then put it in Tupperware containers so that days later, he could just add some sauce to it, reheat it and enjoy it.

However, he didn’t store the pasta in the fridge, rather he left it out on the counter. After five days of the food sitting out at room temperature, he heated some up and ate it. While he noticed an odd taste to the food, he figured it was just due to the new tomato sauce he added to it.

11 points

I’m trying to sympathy for the victim but I just can’t.

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1 point

Dude was eating moldy or rotten food. There’s no way that he couldn’t taste something wrong with it. Probably thought, “This tastes bad but whatever.” Remember people, do not go “whatever” when it comes to food.

If it tastes bad, is slimy, was left out for a long time (dairy or egg more than 2 hours, moist food more than 4 hours, dry baked goods more than 12 hours), then throw it out. We have coolers and fridges for a reason. To slow down bacterial growth to preserve food for some short term future. Freezers for a lot longer. Use the freaking tools you’ve been given.

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-1 points

This what happens when parents serve terrible food to their kids. This kids palate never developed beyond McDonald’s fries and chicken tendies.

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1 point

I don’t think it was slimy. But he noticed a weird taste, but thought that it came from his new tomato sauce he tried(that’s what’s written in the article)

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13 points

Maybe try a bit harder. This is a very easy mistake to make if you don’t cook often. He was twenty. So maybe you can keep your bullshit deep inside and say nothing if you have nothing substantial to say. People don’t live and die for your fucking approval.

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29 points

5 day old, room temp pasta, is simply unforgivable

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8 points

Dude eats like a raccoon

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7 points

I’ve definitely been this level of stupid, just luckier, so I have enough sympathy for the both of us.

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1 point
*

That shits why I microwave leftovers.

(And dont leave it out on the counter for a week).

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25 points

that is heat resistant and may not die when the food it infects is cooked.

Keep leftovers in the fridge, consume them quickly and discard if you observe odd smell, taste or right wing leanings.

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-3 points

There’s a thick line between being resistant to heat and being resistant to high energy waves of radiation.

But yes refrigerate and throw out weird uncles.

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13 points

Any reason to think that the toxin, which is not a living organism, is weak against energy waves?

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4 points

fried wings are the worst leftover food given you have to throw out half of them 😓

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7 points

Ive been told you MUST let rice cool on the counter before putting it in the fridge. My brother in Christ, that’s how you die.

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20 points

Letting it cool for like 2-3 hours is perfectly fine, putting large quantities of near boiling hot stuff in the fridge might warm it up and decrease the lifespan of other stuff in the fridge.

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4 points

…no it isn’t.

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12 points

That opening paragraph implies something different from the final paragraph (of the bit OP posted in this thread). Opening paragraph says a few hours, but the guy left his pasta out for the full 5 fucking days between cooking and eating it.

I’m one that generally prefers to not waste food but I won’t touch pasta or rice that I’ve accidentally left out overnight. Wtf was wrong with that guy?

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7 points

Letting stuff cool a little is better for your fridge though. I don’t think you run much of a risk from an hour or two, bacterial growth starts slow and accelerates exponentially.

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1 point

It’s more than that.

If you don’t let it cool, you risk warming the other food you have already cooled to unsafe levels.

I’m pretty sure refrigeration of hot, bulk preparation items are a reason why your local restaurants get shut down or get violations.

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1 point

I actually first typed out a paragraph with my thoughts that this could be an issue, but wasn’t sure enough of myself to post it and deleted it. Thanks for inadvertently confirming my suspicion!

I hadn’t even thought of restaurants, but it’s interesting this can be an issue even with their larger fridges.

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74 points

This is such a fuckin non story. Dude left cooked food out unrefridgerated and got sick and died. No fuckin shit. We have places to keep cooked food cold for a fuckin reason. Stupid ass article trying to scare people about fuckin leftovers. Fuck this piece of shit ass article and the twat that wrote it.

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18 points

I genuinely know of an individual who believes refrigeration is a hoax and a conspiracy. He refrigerates nothing. Milk in the cabinets. I guess it’s just big refrigerator trying to manipulate us?

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16 points

You might not know this person for very long

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0 points

He’s not the healthiest and looks like absolute shit. Lmao. In his 60s now probably

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6 points

What about freezing, does he also think that does nothing?

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9 points

Only way I think he survives is that his entire house is below 40 F (4.4 C)

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1 point

What the fuck. He thinks refrigeration is a hoax, yet keeps his house at refrigerator temperatures???

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10 points

Nah honestly given the difference in danger depending on the food this isn’t bad to know. I’m familiar with pasta turning into a weird consistency with weird smell and I always threw it away when that happens, but since it’s not disgusting per se I’d probably have eaten it in a pinch (unlike, say, moldy food or meat that’s been sitting for a while).

I also know of people with some insnae aversion to wasting food that lends them to claim moldy meat is still good to eat (mother of a friend) so if anyone is in a situation with someone like that it’s good to be aware of how dangerous some foods that might not seem as bad are.

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3 points

Yeah, what you leave out is more important than how long you leave it for. This particular bacteria is only going to be a problem if you leave out the perfect medium for it to grow.

It’s actually pretty hard for dangerous bacteria to grow in most foods, usually there’s not either not enough moisture or too much moisture, or the pH is too acidic and the bacteria will get outcompeted by things like environmental lactic acid bacteria, yeast, or even mold.

If the food you want to save contains moisture and isn’t preserved via acid, salt, or sugar, please store it in the refrigerator.

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6 points

I heard 5 day leftovers and thought. “5 day fridge leftovers might give you the runs but won’t kill you” then I read the article. That’s not leftovers, that’s garbage. Dude was eating rancid garbage

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2 points

Exactly. Most cooked foods are just plain nasty by that point if left out at room temperature.

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86 points

5 days ON THE COUNTER?! And it tasted off, and he consumed it anyway.

This is so stupid that it has to be intentional suicide.

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38 points
*

I one time argued with literally hundreds of people on Reddit about basic food safety regarding food left out on the counter. I’m still floored by it. Numerous government agencies around the world agree about this, and yet…

Btw food safety was MORE critical before modern science because you could easily die from it back then. That was a common excuse people gave me in the previously mentioned subreddit, for eating food left out/bad - “our ancestors did it”. No.

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22 points

Dude, I grew up with nonstop food poisoning because my mom did this. My family always said it was a “stomach flu” when the whole family was puking and shitting every other week.

It was horrible and I think it did some damage to my digestive system long term. I didn’t figure it out until I was in my 20’s and stopped eating anything she cooked.

I’m weird about left overs now, even though my husband is very clean when he cooks and doesn’t leave food out, or if he does it goes in the trash.

Don’t leave your food out people. It will fuck you up one day.

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4 points

This is why I am highly circumspect about any food that people offer me. Cause you never know what their understanding of food safety is.

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2 points

Wow, that sounds so frocking horrible… I grew up with a mom that involved me in the kitchen every chance she got, and I am really thankful for that, it taught me so much about food, cooking, baking. your story is basically the evil twin of mine! ‘Being weird’ about leftovers now seems like the minimal damage you could have taken, I would have a very hard time of trusting other folks’ food after growing up like that. Wow.

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7 points

Our ancestors took storage measures right away, salting meat, putting root vegetables in the root cellar

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16 points

Food safety is so important! After taking the food manager safety test I hate eating at some peoples houses. It scares me. My step brothers use to leave meat to thaw on the countertop overnight. Miserable.

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