| As every college student knows, pizza never goes | | | | temperature of 40 degrees or less. Although this |
| bad. After all, you can leave it sitting out all night, eat a | | | | recommendation is fro the USDA, it just as well applies |
| slice for breakfast, and head to class, right? Well, the | | | | to Toronto pizza as it does to New York. |
| good news is that most of today's college students | | | | Keep in mind that your pizza may not arrive at the |
| either have incredibly strong immune systems or are | | | | right temperature. If you transported the pizza yourself |
| incredibly lucky, because this is not true. Pizza take out | | | | or the delivery driver had a long route to take, the |
| has limits as to how long it can set out and still be | | | | temperature could have dropped below 140 degrees |
| decent to eat. The meat, cheese, and sauce on a | | | | before you even started eating it. Use a food |
| pizza can all grow dangerous bacteria if left at room | | | | thermometer to determine the temperature of the |
| temperature too long. Here are some guidelines to use | | | | pizza. If it is below 140 degrees, do not leave it out for |
| with ordered pizza when storing it for a later meal. | | | | the two-hour maximum. It has already cooled below |
| Remember, Pizza Is Perishable! | | | | the ideal temperature, allowing the harmful bacteria to |
| Some foods are considered non-perishable, but pizza | | | | grow. |
| is not one of them. If you leave it out too long and then | | | | Storage Tips for Pizza |
| eat it, you can get sick. Pizza has meat and cheese on | | | | If you know that you will need to have the pizza |
| it, and these can harbor dangerous bacteria, including | | | | available for longer than two hours, use your oven to |
| Staphylococcus, Salmonella, and E. Coli. | | | | keep it above 140 degrees. Put the oven's |
| Most pizzas contain trace amounts of these bacteria, | | | | temperature setting on "keep warm" or a similar |
| but these low amounts are not dangerous. As long as | | | | choice, and leave the pizza in its cardboard box in the |
| the pizza is kept either hot or cold, it is fine to eat. | | | | oven. The pizza box will not burn at this temperature, |
| However, when it is left a room temperature for too | | | | but you will be able to keep the pizza safe. |
| long, the bacteria begin to grow, soon reaching | | | | When you are done with the pizza, store it in a sealed |
| dangerous levels that can cause severe illness. The | | | | container in the refrigerator. Many people like to store |
| dangerous temperatures are 40 to 140 degrees | | | | the pizza in its cardboard box. While this is fine |
| Fahrenheit, which is the range that normal room | | | | health-wise, it can cause the pizza to dry out faster. |
| temperature falls in, so leaving the pizza out makes it | | | | You can also freeze the pizza. Pizza stored in the |
| dangerous, if not deadly. | | | | refrigerator is typically good for three or four days. |
| Understanding the Two-Hour Rule | | | | You can keep it in the freezer for up to two months. |
| According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture | | | | So the next time you are at a party and are reaching |
| (USDA), any food, whether hot or cold, that has been | | | | for that now-cold piece of pizza, remember that it is a |
| left at room temperature for two hours or longer | | | | prime place for dangerous bacteria to grow. If you are |
| needs to be thrown out. If the temperature is above | | | | the host of the party, keep your guests safe by putting |
| 90, such as at an outdoor picnic on a hot day, the food | | | | the pizza away after two hours. Remember, you may |
| needs to be thrown out after just one hour. The best | | | | have eaten left-out pizza in the past, but every time |
| temperature for hot foods is any temperature that is | | | | you do, you are playing with fire. Protect yourself by |
| over 140 degrees. Cold foods need to be kept at a | | | | handling your take out safely every time! |