Kitchen hygiene in pregnancy

Is it normal to leave cooked foods out? I'm from the US and we refridgerate or freeze leftovers. I have in-laws that leave a pot of soup out for days and still eat it. They will also leave cooked meat out overnight. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but this doesn't suit me. Is this normal in Europe??? Just asking...

Hi Shani,

Well I don't know about everyone else but I always put things in the fridge. I never leave food out. People differ but I always feel it stays fresher if you keep it cold.

Hope that helps!

Katie xoxo

I too am from the US and have noticed quite a difference with food hygiene in the UK - especially so with my in-laws.  They leave meat out for days, store raw meat next to the fruit in veg in fridge, and don't wash their hands immediately after handling raw meat, transfering bacteria everywhere.  My mother is a dietician and says that since WWII the US has been very good with food safety but the down side is we are more prone to infections than those from other countries.  We need to be more careful than our British families.  My problem really is with my 3 month old - I can't understand how educated people would try and pick her up and kiss her after holding raw chicken.  I really don't think a dose of E. coli or salmonella will improve the relations.  On another note, why is it so common to not find soap at the sink in people's bathrooms?  It's just shouting 'we don't wash our hands'!  Some homes have a toilet in a room without even a sink.  Yuck!

Sponges here bother me too.  People 'wash' their dishes in a sink full of water with a few squirts of Fairy then use a sponge then rinse.  That's just awful!  It's not clean after that sponge touched it. 

 I wish this article discussed meat safety as well.

 FYI: If cooked food is left out at room temperature, it should be thrown out after 2 hours. 

How do you wash your dishes in the US Eli?!  Sorry, not being rude, just curious.  I always wash mine like that.  I always put leftover food in the fridge/freezer, but my in-laws will happily leave food in the pans they were cooked in overnight.  They've never suffered any ill health as result, but I would certainly be more careful with a young child.  As for no soap in bathrooms - that is disgusting, I've never come across that!