Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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ChatGPT image description: A large stainless steel pressure cooker filled with cloudy chicken stock sits forgotten on a kitchen counter overnight. The broth’s surface shows separated fat and residue, surrounded by ordinary kitchen items under warm indoor lighting, creating a subtle sense of food safety concern and neglect.

939. Chicken Stock Out Overnight, Pressure Cooked Again for 30 Minutes

June 10, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating chicken stock left on the counter overnight, and then pressure cooked again for 30 minutes.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • Pressure cooker - Wikipedia
  • Home canning - Wikipedia
  • Frequently Asked Questions – Instant Pot
  • Free Shipping! Farberware 6-Quart Aluminum Stovetop Pressure Cooker 15 PSI for Faster Nutrient Retention - Walmart.com
  • 42: Reboiling Soup — Risky or Not?
  • Thermal inactivation of Bacillus cereus spores during cooking of rice to ensure later safety of boudin - ScienceDirect
  • Inactivation of Bacillus cereus spores by high hydrostatic pressure at different temperatures - PubMed
  • Chicken or Turkey Stock - National Center for Home Food Preservation
  • Heat resistance of Bacillus cereus emetic toxin, cereulide | Letters in Applied Microbiology | Oxford Academic
  • Temperature Exerts Control of Bacillus cereus Emetic Toxin Production on Post-transcriptional Levels - PMC
939. Chicken Stock Out Overnight, Pressure Cooked Again for 30 Minutes
Risky or Not
Download
June 10, 2026 /Don Schaffner
Pressure cooker, Heat stable toxin, Bacillus, Clostridium

The image shows a stainless steel pan with murky, dirty water sitting on a kitchen counter overnight. The water has a greasy film and floating residue. The pan has dried streaks on its sides. The counter has scattered crumbs and stains, illuminated by soft morning light filtering through a window.

745. Reusing Pasta Water That's Been Sitting Out Overnight

March 14, 2025 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks reusing pasta water that's been sitting out overnight.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

  • NACCHO
  • Bacillus sp. R2 α-amylase production optimization: Pasta cooking water as medium of amylase production | African Journal of Biotechnology
  • Fatal Family Outbreak of Bacillus cereus-Associated Food Poisoning - PMC
  • Predictive Model for Growth of Bacillus cereus at Temperatures Applicable to Cooling of Cooked Pasta - Juneja - 2019 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • Microbiological Quality of Raw Dried Pasta from the German Market, with Special Emphasis on Cronobacter Species - Akineden - 2015 - Journal of Food Science - Wiley Online Library
  • A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of Bacillus cereus in foods - ScienceDirect
  • A survey study on safety and microbial quality of “gluten-free” products made in Italian pasta factories - ScienceDirect
  • The occurrence of Bacillus cereus in fast foods: International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition: Vol 49, No 4
  • Toxin producing Bacillus cereus persist in ready-to-reheat spaghetti Bolognese mainly in vegetative state - ScienceDirect
  • Microbiological Quality of Filled Pasta in Relation to the Nature of Heat Treatment - ScienceDirect
745. Reusing Pasta Water That's Been Sitting Out Overnight
Risky or Not
Download
March 14, 2025 /Don Schaffner
Bacillus, Heat stable toxin, Pasta, Time temperature control for safety food

DALL·E - Unopened Carton of Heavy Cream Almost 3 Weeks Past It's Expiration Date in an empty refrigerator in the style of Edward Hopper

497. Unopened Carton of Heavy Cream Almost 3 Weeks Past It's Expiration Date

August 14, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of consuming heavy cream from an unopened carton almost 3 weeks past it's expiration date.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • 🇺🇸 Bobby Blue Byrd 🇺🇦 on Twitter: "@pdnell @gastropoda What say you @bugcounter @benjaminchapman ? https://t.co/G4RrFHGOIN" / X
  • Short communication: Bacterial ecology of high-temperature, short-time pasteurized milk processed in the United States - ScienceDirect
  • Sudden Death of a Young Adult Associated with Bacillus cereus Food Poisoning - PMC
  • National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) Dashboard | CDC
  • Don's Milk Shelf Life Article
497. - Unopened Carton of Heavy Cream Almost 3 Weeks Past It's Expiration Date
Risky or Not
Download


August 14, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Cream, Dairy, Shelf life, Bacillus
soaking-beans.jpg

17: Soaking Beans Overnight

July 20, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from soaking beans overnight before cooking.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼

Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

  • The Occurrence of Bacillus cereus in some Dried Foods Including Pulses and Cereals - BLAKEY - 1980 - Journal of Applied Bacteriology - Wiley Online Library

  • The Traditional Four-Step Method | Bean Institute

  • Cooking Dry Beans from Scratch Can Be Quick

17: Soaking Beans Overnight
Risky or Not?
Download
July 20, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Bacillus, Beans

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