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Rant: A potluck in Seattle changed how I handle food safety forever
I was at a big family reunion potluck in Seattle last year, and about 15 people got sick from a potato salad that sat out for over 6 hours. The person who made it said they 'never got sick from it before' and didn't use a cooler. Now I bring a digital thermometer to every gathering and keep my cold dishes on ice until right before serving. Has anyone else had a close call that made them change their routine?
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drewc622mo agoMost Upvoted
That story is a solid reminder how fast things can go wrong. My own wake-up call was a bad batch of deviled eggs at a church picnic, which is why I'm now weird about mayo-based stuff in the heat. Some people just don't get how quickly bacteria grows on food left out.
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pathenderson2mo ago
Honestly, I think people get way too worried about that stuff. I've left potato salad out all day at a barbecue and never had a problem. Drewc62, maybe your church picnic was just a one-off bad egg situation, literally. A little sun isn't going to ruin good food that fast. Most of the time it's fine and worrying about it takes the fun out of a potluck.
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olivia_carr71mo ago
Oh man, that story hits home. My uncle is the exact same way with his "famous" macaroni salad, which he makes with real mayo and then just leaves on the counter for hours before we eat. He says the vinegar keeps it safe, but I've seen that bowl sweating in the sun. It's turned into a family joke where we all secretly avoid it and go for the store-bought bags of chips instead. Makes you wonder how many close calls we've actually had over the years without even knowing.
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