Cooked food that is safe to take for lunch w/o being refrigerated? (ingredient, frozen)

[poodlestix]

My husband moved out to FL 8 months ahead of me (I had to stay and sell our house in TX), and he was doing flight instruction out there on the side of his regular job. He ended up being offered an affordable room in a house of flight students from India. He noticed that they liked to make warm milk in pans on the stove. After drinking some, they would leave the pan sitting out the rest of the night and next day before partaking again. They graciously offered him some, but he declined for obvious reasons. They never did get sick from it. I guess it must be something they've become accustomed to doing in their country and have somehow become immune?

[kat949]

idk.. a lot of people in my culture give away moon cakes that were once baked or bao, or I forget the name of it.. certain foods can be left out for hours and still be okay to eat. Just make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before prepping! E-coli (bacteria from your intestines) contamination occurs when people do #2 and don't wash their hands well (including underneath their finger nails).

Even spring rolls can be prepped and left for hours and still be okay. I'm talking about Vietnamese spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce.

[rekab23]

Most anything that isn't prepared with dairy products. Definitely not potato salad, because of all the mayonnaise. I would say Spaghetti, is a good bet.

[DragonflyMom]

I think you would be OK with almost anything if the food was cold from being in the fridge overnight and you had an insulated lunch bag and threw in an ice pack as you left the house. If you are taking a bottle of water, freeze it, and that will provide more cold. Maybe potato salad would be an exception - anything mayo based is off the list.

Of course, all bets are off if you leave the lunch bag in a hot car, or in the direct sunlight, or next to a warm appliance at work.

[hunterseat]

Why not throw a bag of ice cubes in your lunch box and forget about it. Take whatever's convenient.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by ssww

Here is another, related question:

Which is better (least likely to get spoiled):

a) Cook the food the previous night, refrigerate, and then take it out from the refrigerator in the morning to bring with you (with or without ice pack)

Or:
b) Cook it fresh in the morning (if it doesn't take too long time), and take it with you while it's still hot/warm?

I will never know because I am not getting up at 4 a.m. to cook my lunch.

But I would think the bacteria grows faster in the warm food.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by hunterseat

Why not throw a bag of ice cubes in your lunch box and forget about it. Take whatever's convenient.

Provided you have an insulated lunch box, lol. I have a 90-minute commute. It would get pretty soggy pretty fast.

[saibot]

Something to remember about milk is that although it is easily "soured," soured does not necessarily mean spoiled. Sour milk (and sour cream) is used in many food recipes and is very wholesome, as long as it's not actually green or moldy. It just doesn't taste good by itself, that's why we don't want to drink it. Of course it is best to use sour milk for cooking, as that kills any harmful bacteria, but very slightly soured milk will probably not make anyone sick.

[snowmountains]

If you bring your own lunch to work where there are no microwave or othe reheating appliances, what are some of the nice lunch you could make that also doesn't spoil without being refrigerated from morning to afternoon?

I know many bring sandwiches, but some ingredients in the sandwich may not be good after a long time without refrigeration.

[mainebrokerman]

peanut butter and fluff sandwiches...