3 ms·

You probably should not put food in an insulated container if that will prolong its time in the zone between 40F and 140F.

• kragen 16y ago
  Not unless you've sterilized it first. But putting food in an insulated container will only prolong its time in the zone between 40°F and 140°F if the temperature outside the insulated container is outside of that range. For example, if the insulated container is in a refrigerator, in an oven, on top of a cooking fire, or in a blizzard. So taken at face value, your advice is rarely applicable. However, not all of that zone is equivalent! If your non-sterile food stays at 100°F for a long period of time, its decay rate will be much, much higher than if you keep it at 60°F. So a generalization of your advice is often applicable.