How long will leftover pizza stay good not in a refrigerator?!


Question: How long will leftover pizza stay good not in a refrigerator?
I ordered 2 large pizzas and i ate only 3 pieces... Im wondering How long will leftover pizza stay good NOT in a refrigerator?

Answers:

The guidelines from the government safety agencies is to allow no (non-dried) food to stay in the "danger zone" of temperatures for more than 4 hrs. That would be between 40 F (refrigerator temperature) and 140 F (cooked-fish temperature).
That 4 hrs includes any time since cooking, or since a food has been picked/slaughtered/etc and includes transportation, storage, etc.

The warmer the temperature, the more quickly both pathogenic bacteria (the kind that makes you sick) and spoilage bacteria (the kind that just looks or smells bad) will proliferate. So 4 hours during the summer in an un-airconditioned house, would be much worse than 4 hours during the winter in a house that's not overheated, for example.

Some foods have ingredients that act as natural preservatives though so those can sometimes make a difference in certain circumstances for a longer period than 4 hrs... sugar (or foods with sugar), salt (or foods with sodium), acids (tomatoes, citrus fruit or juice, vinegar, wine, etc), and smoked foods, for example.



Speaking from personal experience when I was living in the barracks in the Navy; I'd order an extra large pizza, but our refrigerators were tiny; so I'd eat as much as I could in one sitting, and leave the rest out over night. Come morning I'd eat it for breakfast. I'd say it's probably good for no longer than an overnighter.



i wouldnt eat leftover pizza if it has been sitting out over 2 hours because it will make you sick and possibly give you simanilla posioning or a bacterial infection i would watch out



I've eaten a piece of unrefrigerated plain cheese the next morning...but that's as far as I'd push it...I say-offer a pie to your neighbors....



4 hours at the most..



I wouldnt eat it ofter a few hours, cause of the cheese



outside of the fridge? probably a few hours./

cheese needs to be refrigerated



depends on what is on them
hours




The consumer Foods information on foodaq.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 FoodAQ - Terms of Use - Contact us - Privacy Policy

Food's Q&A Resources