The portable tofu conundrum
May 31, 2009 2:51 PM   Subscribe

Another "safe to eat" question, this one about tofu.

Supposing tonight I make a stir-fry with tofu, using sesame oil, some veg (mushrooms, onions, zucchini), soy sauce and spices. I eat it with rice, mix the leftovers together (tofu, veg and rice) and put it in the fridge overnight.

If I put this mixture in a container around 9 tomorrow and bring it to work, will it be OK to eat around 1 o'clock, without being refrigerated meantime? I don't plan to put any dairy or egg in there. (Although if I were to stir-fry an egg into it, which can be good too, would that make it much more dangerous to eat after 3-4 hours at room temp?)

(I will be walking to work and the weather tomorrow is not expected to get above 16°C.)
posted by zadcat to Food & Drink (15 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Yes, it will be safe to eat.
posted by pravit at 2:54 PM on May 31, 2009


Yeah, totally safe to eat. I do this sort of thing all the time.
posted by peacheater at 2:55 PM on May 31, 2009


Go ahead and use the egg if you want to also.
posted by peacheater at 2:56 PM on May 31, 2009


In my experience nothing spoils in the 4-5 morning hours, if it was stored in fridge overnight. The cold resides long enough to keep things kosher.
posted by olya at 3:02 PM on May 31, 2009


No problem at all.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 3:19 PM on May 31, 2009


Yup, fine, even with the egg.
posted by rtha at 3:27 PM on May 31, 2009


16C does not sound like a temperature at which food will quickly spoil.
posted by dfriedman at 4:04 PM on May 31, 2009


Totally fine. You can even put it in the freezer for a bit in the morning (while you get ready) and it'll be even colder. Or pack some frozen edamame and it'll keep the food colder longer, and be a nice tasty snack.
posted by barnone at 4:07 PM on May 31, 2009


Maybe, maybe not. Unrefrigerated food is in the Danger Zone, the temperature at which bacteria grows most readily. Pack the food with an ice pack to be safe.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 4:16 PM on May 31, 2009


I do this all the time with tofu as well. no problems even with much longer and hotter time spans.
posted by buttercup at 5:56 PM on May 31, 2009


I wouldn't hestitate to eat that.
posted by tomble at 3:17 AM on June 1, 2009




I would eat it, and I'm a sissy about things like this. (Although honestly, I'd just pack an ice pack and not worry about it, but that's not what you asked.)
posted by robinpME at 10:00 AM on June 1, 2009


I do this all the time, but I add some frozen green beans or peas in the container. No need for an ice pack!
posted by needled at 7:12 PM on June 1, 2009


Response by poster: Thanks all. I do have an ice pack and will consider it, although the condensation will be kind of annoying. Marking it resolved!
posted by zadcat at 8:13 PM on June 1, 2009


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