Most people think that putting a pizza in the fridge will ruin the pizza, and will make it dry and hard. So, to prevent this, they leave the pizza out overnight.
But, the most common question arises after leaving the pizza out of the fridge: whether or not you can eat the pizza if you leave it overnight or accidentally forget to put it in the fridge.
Some say putting it in the fridge is best, while others think it’s better when left outside until breakfast. But which of these statements is correct in terms of pizza being safe when left or being unsafe? You’ll know the answer if you reach the end of the blog.
Can you leave pizza out overnight?
The most straightforward answer here is yes and no. As a number #1 rule involving food, you shouldn’t leave anything cooked out of the fridge for more than 2 hours. And pizza is no exception.
Since food is warm, the chances of bacterial growth are high, and even if the pizza doesn’t become downright poisonous, it will because a bit unsafe and can hurt your stomach.
However, if your house has a cooling system and the kitchen is not warm at night; instead, it is cool, then you can assume that the pizza will not go bad.
You can also heat the pizza you left out overnight with a splash of water to fight bacterial growth. However, if you have left it out for too many hours, then even heating it won’t save your problem.
So, a simple answer to whether you can leave the pizza out overnight is that it is safer NOT to leave it, but if you do, do a little taste and sniff taste and then heat it to kill any bacterial growth.
Only then can you eat it, but if you left the pizza for more than 7 hours, then it’s better to get rid of it.
Is it safe to eat pizza left out overnight?
As we discussed above, it is and isn’t safe to eat cold pizza at the same time. If you do a taste and sniff taste and feel like it’s okay, then you can easily eat it.
Oven or the stove are also options to heat it properly until all the bacteria die and the pizza is left safe to eat.
Nevertheless, it is also safer and better to throw away pizza that has been sitting out for too long (read: overnight) because, according to the Department of Agriculture (USDA), food will start getting spoiled after two hours of being left out of the fridge. And since our light is longer than 2 hours, you know what will happen.
Tips for safely storing leftover pizza.
Nobody wants to throw away pizza because it isn’t just some food. Instead, it is something that every heart wants.
So, instead of leaving it out and having to throw it in the morning, it’s better to store it in the fridge so it’s safe to eat whenever you want.
So, we are going to give you a few tips for storing pizza properly.
- Pack the pizza up and store it in the fridge or freezer as soon as you eat it.
- Use paper towels or foil to wrap the pizza slices so that once you seal them in the container, all the moisture and goodness stay inside.
- Make sure that the pizza is in an airtight container, or it can get dry.
- You can eat properly refrigerated pizza even after four days, but after that, it will start to go bad. Do you want to save it longer? Consider freezing it in the same way you will put it in the fridge.
A guide on how to properly reheat leftover pizza.
If your pizza was left out for the whole night, then there is a good chance that it will be spoiled. However, if you still have hope and think that the pizza has hope, then you should reheat it until there is a lot of steam in the pan.
Many people think that heating food that has been left out can kill bacteria and save the food from going bad.
This statement is true, but it won’t work if your food has already started to go bad. It will only work if your food is still edible and you want to increase its life.
So, the best way to reheat the pizza that you left out is:
- Preheat your oven, your skillet, or pan, and then take your pizza. Splash some water on it (don’t soak wet it), put it on a foil that is big enough to wrap it whole, and then put it in the oven, pan, or skillet.
- Leave the pizza for a good 10-15 minutes on low heat to warm up properly and kill all bacteria.
- Once 15 minutes are passed, you can take the pizza and check if it’s too soggy but steaming hot; then, you can remove the foil and put it in the oven, pan, or skillet to burn the excess water. It will hardly take 5 minutes. But your pizza will feel like freshly baked.
- Microwave is another option to heat pizza, but instead of preheating the microwave, just pack the pizza in foil, splash it with water, and put it in the microwave for 6-10 minutes.
How can you tell if leftover pizza is bad?
Trust me, when your pizza has gone bad, you’ll know. But if you still want pointers to identify a bad pizza, here are a few:
- If, as soon as you open the box, container, or pack of your pizza and are met with an unpleasant smell, your pizza has gone bad.
- If you see mold and fungus on the pizza that wasn’t there the last time, your pizza has gone bad.
- If there is any discoloration, your pizza has gone bad.
- If you got a gut feeling that the pizza isn’t worth eating or safe to eat. Trust your gut because your pizza has gone bad.
- Relevant article: Why is your pizza dough too sticky?
Is 5-day-old pizza safe to eat?
Five days old pizza is 100% safe to eat if it has been in the freezer for the past five days. It’s 80-90% safe to eat if it has been in the fridge for the past five days.
And it is about 0% safe to eat if it’s been outside for the past five days. Don’t eat a pizza that has been lying out for the last five days.
Better to give them to your raccoon neighbors.
Is it safe to eat pizza left out for 6 hours?
If the pizza has been left out for 6 hours, it is probably not spoiled. But you already know how to check whether it is worth eating.
You should take a super small bite and do a sniff test; if all seems okay, then heat it properly until it’s steaming hot.
But a better option is not to eat a pizza that has been out for so long.
Final Verdict:
We know how much ‘PIZZA’ means to you and how difficult it is to throw away your love. However, your love for pizza shouldn’t exceed your love for your health.
If you love your pizza so much, the best way to save the pizza from going bad is to freeze or refrigerate it.
So, as soon as you think there is something wrong with the pizza, or if your gut tells you, that you shouldn’t eat it, listen to your gut because it’s never wrong.
Go on now; put that pizza on your counter in the fridge to enjoy it later.
