How Long Can Pizza Sit Out And Does It Go Bad?

Pizza is an Italian dish consisting of a round-shaped, flat base of wheat-based dough topped with cheese, tomatoes, and other ingredients. The list of ingredients includes; mushrooms, meat, onions, olives, pineapple, anchovies and pepperoni, which are baked at an elevated temperature in a wood-fired oven.

Like any other food, all kinds of pizza i.e., blaze pizza, Chicago style pizza can also go bad. Don’t know for how long can this delicious Italian cuisine sit out? No need to panic! We have got all that covered in this article. Just give this piece of writing a read and get all your confusion clear right away.

How Long Can Pizza Sit Out?

We all have witnessed one thing at least once, there is some leftover pizza. This leftover pizza raises concerns for you; therefore, it is vital to discuss their lasting period.

The temperature plays a vital role in determining the shelf life of a pizza. It only sits out well up to two hours at room temperature. However, preservation techniques such as refrigeration and freezing allow its quality retainment for five days and five months, respectively.

What Happens if Pizza Sits Out Too Long?

If you have left pizza mistakenly for too long, let us tell you that it is not decent news. Sadly, if your pizza sits out for too long, it will spoil soon, and all you have to do is to throw it right in the bin.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, all perishable foods and pizza are not safe to be consumed overnight sitting at room temperature. It simply means that if pizza sits out more than this duration or even longer than that, it is you who is increasing the risk of being contaminated by foodborne illnesses.

What Should You Do If Pizza Is Left Out Too Long?

After acknowledging what happens when pizza is allowed to sit out for too long, it is equally significant to mention the next step to follow then. We’ll mention the recommendations as described by the US Department of Agriculture. USDA’s take on the sitting out of pizza for too long is simple.

And that is, throw it straight away in the bin without giving a second thought once it has been left out for more than two hours at room temperature conditions.

Bacterial organisms tend to survive well at ordinary temperature conditions and maximize their growth in this Italian cuisine if you fail to refrigerate it. Therefore, always consider refrigerating or defrosting pizza.

How Long Can Pizza Be In The Car For?

What if someone on a long drive on their way back home brings a pizza box but somehow forgets to take it out from the car and preserve it the way it needs to be? Will it be safe to consume or not? Two-hour rule to the rescue! It doesn’t make much difference where you have left the pizza box. The rule is valid for room temperatures.

For hot temperatures, pizza stays well up to 2 hours as per the recommendations of USDA; however, it is said that it’s better to keep it at room temperature only for an hour or so. Then there’s also this one thing; if it’s cold in the car, it will bring the temperature of the pizza to the danger zone more readily.

Does Pizza Go Bad If Not Refrigerated?

Pizza is safe to be consumed if it’s refrigerated or defrosted as it needs to be. So, to answer whether it goes bad if it is not refrigerated, it does not sit out for longer if it is left at room temperature. However, there is only one way that it does not go bad, that is, defrosting it for its quality maintenance.

Do Pizza Go Bad If You Lose Power?

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the refrigerator can keep food safe for up to approximately 4 hours during a power outage. However, it is always good to follow safety protocols and check for spoilage before eating.

What Temperature Is Safe For Pizza?

According to the FDA, the ideal temperature condition for a pizza is 150°F and above. This persistent temperature provides a medium where bacterial growth is inactive.  However, the danger zone temperature for this Italian cuisine is from 41°F to 135°F, but 70°F to 135°F provides a livable environment for bacteria to thrive in. The longer the pizza is allowed to sit out in the danger zone, the greater are the chances for bacterial multiplication.

How Long Can Frozen Pizza Sit Out?

If left out at room temperature, the frozen pizza will stay good for a maximum of 2 hours. As we know, frozen things are more perishable than other food products. They leave water from them when kept at room temperature for a long. This moisture intact is not good for the products.

That’s why you must bake the frozen pizza kept at room temperature within 3 hours by using the best toaster ovens. First, reheat the pizza and then put it in the oven. Reheating is compulsory; otherwise, the pizza may leave excessive water inside the oven tray.

What Happens If Frozen Pizza Sits Out Too Long?

If the frozen pizza is left out for long, it may go bad. The water released from the frozen pizza is the main cause of spoiled frozen pizza. You must reheat the pizza in time to absorb the excess water. In this way, the frozen pizza is ready to go in the oven.

If you have bought some best thin crust frozen pizzas, the pizzas may go bad even before the mentioned time. You have to care more in this case.

How to store Pizza

One of the reasons pizza is so popular is that it can be prepared very easily. Many fast food stores ship it to your home, which is why it is an ideal food for parties and gatherings since everyone loves it and can eat it with their favorite ingredients.

It has happened to all of us at least once that after these events, there is usually leftover pizza that nobody wants to eat because they are full and satisfied, that makes you a great host but leaves you with the problem of leftovers, so do not end up being wasted you must know how to store them properly.

Storing pizza is a task that requires you to be cautious and to follow certain rules to make sure everything is done as it should be. But do not worry, it is not rocket science. Although you must comply with some indications, none is a complicated task.

To begin with, we must emphasize that pizza only keeps well when it is refrigerated. It is not recommended that you leave the pizza at room temperature for more than two hours because from this period, the bacterial activity begins to develop. This does not mean that the pizza will go bad exactly after two hours, but thereafter it will be prone to becoming more easily contaminated.

Once the appropriate period of time has elapsed, you must place the pizza in the refrigerator. For this, you must keep it in a container. If you bought the pizza in a cardboard box, you could use it to keep it there if you plan to finish eating it the next day.

If you want to keep your pizza for longer, we recommend that you forget the box as it will not protect the pizza from being parched by the cold in the refrigerator. You should wrap each slice of pizza in aluminum foil, and you should place it in an airtight container or a freezer bag with as little air as possible. In this way, they will keep their quality intact for longer despite the low temperatures.

Can You Freeze Pizza?

If you have ended up buying many more pizzas than you were going to need or do not feel like finishing eating your pizza for the moment, you will be interested in storing it for the long term. If you freeze it, you can achieve this purpose efficiently.

The procedure that you must follow to freeze the pizza is practically the same as that you must use to keep it refrigerated. You must take each slice of pizza and wrap them individually in aluminum foil. Once you have finished with that step, the next thing will be to store them in a freezer bag removing as much air as possible from it or in an airtight container. Once you have chosen the most convenient one for you, your pizza will be ready for sub-zero temperatures.

How Long Does Pizza Last

Pizza is a food made to be consumed quickly. Due to its ingredients, it is not very likely that it will last longer than a couple of days. For this reason, we recommend that if you have pizza leftovers, you consume them as quickly as you can.

The pizzas do not come with a label that indicates a deadline before which you must consume them. Still, the United States Department of Agriculture indicates the pizza is only safe to eat before the first two hours at room temperature. Therefore, if you leave it for longer than that, it is not guaranteed that it will remain in good condition.

If you refrigerate your pizza, it can only be kept well for about five days. If you freeze the pizza, the period in which it remains in good condition can increase to five months.

How to Tell If Pizza Is Bad

Pizza is undoubtedly delicious, but it is also delicate because it has a very short shelf life, so sooner rather than later, it will end up spoiling, and in order not to risk a case of poisoning from eating food in poor condition, we recommend that you check your pizza before consuming it.

To know if your pizza shows any signs that it has spoiled, pay attention to things such as the presence of mold, bad odors, or bad taste; if you detect any of these characteristics, you should discard the pizza immediately.

On the other hand, if you do not seal the pizza properly, it will end up drying and hardening, if it does not show any sign of having spoiled, technically it will still be safe to consume, but it will depend on you if you do it or not.

Sources:

• bacinos
• homecookbasics
• businessinsider
• doesitgobad