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  • If you have something you want to discuss to do with how people should answer questions, what should be closed, or why people vote the way they do, please take it to Seasoned Advice Meta. Some general comments, before you post there... Users are free to vote how they like, and no site policy will or should stop them from downvoting answers they disagree with, but downvotes aren't the same thing as saying you're not allowed to post answers like that. And we do frequently close food safety questions as duplicates of one of a few canonical questions. Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 7:22
  • @Jefromi Fair enough. I just get a little frustrated when I answer a question no one bothered to, and get downvoted as a result. I always try to give the 'correct' answer, then my experience, and qualify with YMMV. I may take this up in Meta, but I really do want to know how the FDA/USDA determines their safety guidelines. As an engineer, knowing the methodology behind them would allow me to give better answers and qualify the risks, should I choose to answer those kinds of questions in the future. Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 15:44
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    I have no idea how they measure, but I would assume they'd use something like the LRFD method used in civil engineering -- you try to minimize the risk of there being a problem based on statistics. (how much of a risk they design for, I have no clue ... 1%? 0.01%?) and of course, different foods are going to have slightly different risks that the 2hr guidelines don't account for. Commented Aug 7, 2014 at 17:03
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    @rumtscho I guess I am asking what the values of X are in your example. I realize that there are certain assumptions, and maybe the FDA doesn't make it public. If they do though, it would be nice to see it. That way the answer to I left x out y hours could be, "These are the guidelines. If you are in Minnesota in December, you may have n more hours. If you are in Alabama in August, maybe less. When in doubt, throw it out." I believe in nuanced answers, and a stock 'toss it' does not make me happy. Commented Aug 11, 2014 at 16:35
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    I agree that this is a great question, and one that I often wonder about as a cook and haven't been able to find info about online. It's a legitimate question about food preparation practices, not site guidelines, that shouldn't be relegated to meta. Commented Aug 12, 2014 at 4:22