“Oh no!” I cried.
I practically jumped out of the passenger seat and rushed to the back of the car.
I didn’t have a minor accident. I opened the tailgate of my car and found the source of the unusual smell in the car.
Unfortunately, I left the remains of a delicious meal at a Mexican restaurant in a warm car for 16 hours. It consisted of grilled steak, shrimp, chicken, bacon, onions and peppers with a creamy sauce.
I was glad when we left the restaurant the night before. My food box was quite heavy due to the generous portion.
Julie would get some delicious lunches on about three days in the coming week.
I was already inspired to write my column about takeout. Unfortunately, I was distracted by a phone call and text messages while my husband was driving 20 minutes home from the restaurant. We also had to get home to walk our dogs.
The next morning, I frowned as I looked at my toxic food box. I was sad as I threw my food in the trash, but I didn’t want to conduct a self-experiment and eat the food.
If I had eaten it, I would probably have been writing this column from a hospital bed, which would have been a first. Our car smelled of the fermenting food for more than a day. The smell kept wafting towards me until I opened all the windows in the car.
What’s the lesson here? I’m getting too old for life lessons. I’ll put the box of takeout next to me in the car in the future. Maybe I’ll hold the box.
For foods without temperature control, we have a safety window of about two hours. We want to keep hot foods hot (140 degrees Fahrenheit or more) or cold (40 degrees Fahrenheit or less).
High-protein foods, like the ones in my takeout box, can produce a toxin (or poison) when stored at temperatures below 140 degrees and above 40 degrees. I suspected it was Clostridium perfringens. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Clostridium perfringens is often referred to as the “cafeteria bacteria.”
Outbreaks often occur in school cafeterias or nursing homes, or at catering events where food is kept warm on serving tables. The toxin forms when food is not kept warm at 60 degrees Celsius or properly chilled. Poultry, meat and gravy are often associated with outbreaks.
Unfortunately, Clostridium perfringens forms heat-resistant spores. Even if I had cooked the leftover food, I probably wouldn’t have been able to inactivate the poison.
Bacteria can grow quite quickly. On average, their number doubles every 20 minutes. If we start with 10 bacteria, in 20 minutes there will be 20. In 40 minutes there will be 40, and so on. For some types of bacteria, 10 bacterial cells can make us very sick.
People who ingest this poison may experience stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea that begin six to 24 hours after eating the food. Symptoms usually subside within a day, but can lead to dehydration. These symptoms can be severe in young children, people with weakened immune systems, and older adults.
Because of these symptoms, I’m glad I threw the food away. I couldn’t have “fixed” the food safety issue by reheating it repeatedly.
If we have picked up takeout food and want it to stay safe, we can store it in a suitable container (not the Styrofoam box) in a preheated oven to maintain the temperature at 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
It was warm in our car, but not as warm as an oven.
If we plan to eat the takeaway food the next day, we can put it in a shallow pan and refrigerate it. Then the food can be reheated to 74 °C. Reheating should be done within two hours.
In other words, you wouldn’t put leftover soup or stew in a pot on the stove and let it slowly heat up for many hours. During that time, bacteria and their toxins could multiply.
In the spirit of my lost leftovers, here is an easy recipe that is perfect to use with fresh produce from your local farmer’s market, your garden, or the grocery store.
Chicken fajitas from the sheet pan
- 1½ pounds chicken breast cut into ½-inch strips
- 2 red peppers, cut into strips
- 1 green pepper, cut into strips
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive or rapeseed oil
- 1 packet taco seasoning, reduced sodium
- 1 lime
- 10 whole grain tortillas
- Optional toppings: grated cheese, salsa, sour cream, avocado slices
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Sprinkle taco seasoning mix and olive oil into bowl with chicken, peppers, and onions. Mix well. Spread contents on a greased baking sheet; bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Drizzle lime juice over skillet and serve with whole wheat tortillas.
Makes 10 servings (one fajita per serving). Without additional toppings, each fajita has 280 calories, 9 grams (g) of fat, 20 g of protein, 27 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of fiber, and 380 milligrams of sodium.
Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., RD, LRD, is a food and nutrition specialist at North Dakota State University Extension and a professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences.
