Risky or Not?

A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

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A screened porch in winter doubles as an improvised refrigerator. Snow-covered trees are visible outside while tables, shelves, and coolers inside hold milk, drinks, produce, jars, and prepared foods. String lights add warmth, contrasting the cold December air of upstate New York.

884. Using a Screen Porch as a Refrigerator in December in Upstate New York

February 02, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using a screen porch as a refrigerator in December in upstate New York.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Listeriosis Outbreaks Associated with Soft Cheeses, United States, 1998โ€“2014 - PMC
  • Is it Safe to Store Food on the Porch or in the Garage During the Winter?
  • Social Media Analytics and Publishing - Fedica
  • Log In - Libsyn
February 02, 2026 /Don Schaffner
Refrigeration, Porch

DALLยทE - A grocery store refrigerated case filled with yogurt. The glass door is missing, and instead, two-thirds of the space is covered by a plastic bag that is waving.

650. Yogurt From a Grocery Store Fridge With No Door

August 05, 2024 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from yogurt purchased from a grocery store from a fridge with no door.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Risky or Not: Yogurt fridge with no door - Imgur
  • A Horse with No Name - Wikipedia
  • Behavior of Listeria monocytogenes in Skim Milk and in Yogurt Mix during Fermentation by Thermophilic Lactic Acid Bacteria - ScienceDirect
August 05, 2024 /Don Schaffner
Yogurt, Refrigeration, Grocery Store

Thatโ€™s a lot of corn dogsโ€ฆ

423. Pastor Pinkston's Plentiful Pork Products

February 22, 2023 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of storing frozen corn dogs in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Classic | State Fair Corn Dogs
  • Listeria Fear Prompts 372,000 Pound Hot Dog, Corn Dog Recall | Food Manufacturing
  • Sara Lee Corp. Pleads Guilty In Meat Case - The New York Times
  • Update: Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis -- United States, 1998-1999
February 22, 2023 /Don Schaffner
Frozen food, Refrigeration, Listeria, Corndogs

352. Slab Pancetta, 2 Months at 36 ยฐF

September 09, 2022 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating pancetta bacon stored for 2 months at 36 ยฐF.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Evan H B on Twitter: "@bugcounter question for the experts: what is the actual driver for safety risk for cured meat products held at low refrigeration temperatures? i have some slab pancetta that is about 2 months since it was cut from a larger piece by an unknown knife held at 36* since #riskyornot?" / Twitter
  • FoodKeeper App | FoodSafety.gov
  • Pancetta vs Bacon vs Prosciutto: What's the Difference? | Kitchn
  • Prosciutto - Wikipedia
  • Occurrence of mycotoxins in refrigerated pizza dough and risk assessment of exposure for the Spanish population - ScienceDirect
  • The Occurrence of Molds, Yeasts and Mycotoxins in Pre-Cooked Pizza Dough Sold in Southern Rio Grande Do Sul
  • Pathways of Mycotoxin Occurrence in Meat Products: A Review
September 09, 2022 /Don Schaffner
Pancetta, Bacon, Refrigeration
191.jpg

191. Whole Veggies and Raw Meat in a Home Refrigerator at 50ยฐF for Four Days *

August 30, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating whole veggies and raw meat in a home refrigerator at 50ยฐF for four days

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

* Please listen to the entire episode, lots of necessary equivocation.

  • Comprehensive evaluation of temperatures within home refrigerators
  • Emergency Action Plan for Retail Food Establishment | Conference-Developed Guides and Documents | Conference for Food Protection
  • Consumer Home Refrigeration Practices: Results of a Web-Based Survey | Journal of Food Protection
  • ComBase
  • Validation of Mathematical Models for Salmonella Growth in Raw Ground Beef under Dynamic Temperature Conditions Representing Loss of Refrigeration | Journal of Food Protection
  • The Big Lebowski (1998) - IMDb
August 30, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Raw meat, Refrigeration, Temperature
146.png

146. Unrefrigerated Vegan Stuffed Squash

May 17, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating cooked vegan stuffed squash left unrefrigerated in the oven until the next day.

Dr. Don - risky โ˜ฃ๏ธ

Professor Ben - risky โ˜ฃ๏ธ

  • Michael Fessler on Twitter
  • โ€ŽBaked Potatoes and Botulism
  • A large outbreak of botulism: the hazardous baked potato - PubMed
May 17, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Refrigeration, Botulism, Baked Potato
Screen Shot 2021-01-10 at 6.00.38 PM.png

92. Refrigerating Unopened Canned Food

January 11, 2021 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of refrigerating unopened canned food.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Ocean Sprayยฎ Jellied Cranberry Sauce | Ocean Spray
  • Lyme disease - Wikipedia
  • Phytophotodermatitis - Wikipedia
  • Cranberries: Best Food for Lyme, an Ulcer, Cancer and Brain | Psychology Today
January 11, 2021 /Don Schaffner
Canned food, Refrigeration
Screen Shot 2020-12-28 at 2.04.42 PM.png

87. 27 Lbs of Unrefrigerated Feta Cheese

December 30, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating 27 lbs of unrefrigerated feta cheese.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ
Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Athenos Natural, Feta Cheese - 9 lb, Nutrition Information | Innit
  • Microbiological quality of whiteโ€brined cheeses: a review - Bintsis - 2002 - International Journal of Dairy Technology - Wiley Online Library
  • Storage Temperatures Necessary to Maintain Cheese Safety - International Association for Food Protection Storage Temperatures Necessary to Maintain Cheese Safety pdf
December 30, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Refrigeration, Feta, Cheese
LOVE_002_FRONT-3.jpg

51: Linda's Hot Beets

October 07, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of holding unrefrigerated processed beets in your car for 5 hours.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • Love Beets - Healthy Organic Beets, Beet Juice and Beet Powders
  • 100% Organic Cooked Beets | Love Beets
  • Batavia, New York - Wikipedia
  • Geneseo, New York - Wikipedia
  • Botulism from Home-Canned Beets.
  • Botulism from Home-Canned Beets Outbreak Details: Foodborne Illness Outbreak Database
October 07, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Beets, Refrigeration
Mayo small.jpg

19: Unrefrigerated Mayo

July 24, 2020 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of unrefrigerated mayonnaise.

Dr. Don - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

Professor Ben - not risky ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

  • BlackRoomSec on Twitter: รขโ‚ฌล“Um if mayo was refrigerated and then not for 3 days, how badly will I die if I eat it? I need a bacterial expert here.รขโ‚ฌย / Twitter

  • A day in the life of a pentester, or is my job is too sexy for me?

  • What Is The Difference Between Mayonnaise And Aioli? - Food Republic

  • Effect of mayonnaise pH and storage temperature on the behavior of Listeria monocytogenes in ham salad and potato salad. - PubMed - NCBI


July 24, 2020 /Don Schaffner
Refrigeration, Mayonnaise

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