Prairie Fare: Take precautions with takeout food

"Oh, no!" I exclaimed.

I practically leaped out of the passenger seat and hurried to the back of the car.

I had not had a fender bender. I opened my car's hatchback and found the source of the unusual aroma in the car.

Unfortunately, I left my leftovers from a delicious meal at a Mexican restaurant in a warm vehicle for 16 hours. It included grilled steak, shrimp, chicken, bacon, onions and peppers with a creamy sauce.

I had been pleased when we left the restaurant the previous evening. My takeout box was quite heavy with the generous serving of food.

Julie would have some tasty lunches for about three days in the upcoming week.

I was already inspired to write my column about takeout foods. Unfortunately, I became distracted by a phone call and text messages as my husband drove 20 minutes home from the restaurant. We also needed to get home to take our dogs for a walk.

The next morning, I was frowning as I looked at my toxic takeout box. I was sad when I put my food in the trash, but I did not want to conduct an experiment on myself and eat the food.

If I had eaten it, I might have been writing this column from a hospital bed, which would have been a first. Our vehicle remained "fragrant" from the fermenting food for more than a day. The scent kept wafting toward me until I opened all the windows in the car.

What's the lesson here? I am getting too old for life lessons. I will be putting the takeout box next to me in the car in the future. Maybe I will hold the box.

We have a safety window of about two hours for foods without temperature control. We want to keep hot foods hot (140 degrees F or above) or cold (40 degrees or lower).

High-protein foods, such as the food in my takeout box, can produce a toxin (or poison) when stored at temperatures below 140 degrees and above 40 degrees. My guess was Clostridium perfringens. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Clostridium perfringens often is called the "cafeteria bacteria."

The outbreaks often occur in cafeterias in schools or nursing homes or at catered events where food might be held warm on serving lines. The toxin forms when food is not held hot at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or cooled properly. Poultry, meat and gravy often are linked in outbreaks.

Unfortunately, Clostridium perfringens produces heat-resistant spores. Even if I had boiled my leftovers, I probably could not have inactivated the toxin.

Bacteria can grow fairly quickly. On average, they double in number every 20 minutes. If we started with 10 bacteria, in 20 minutes, we would have 20. In 40 minutes, we would have 40 and so on. With some types of bacteria, 10 bacterial cells can make us very sick.

People who consume this toxin might have stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea that begin six to 24 hours after eating the food. It usually goes away within a day but could lead to dehydration. These symptoms can be severe for young children, those with compromised immune systems, and older adults.

Based on these symptoms, I am glad I tossed the food. I could not have "fixed" the food safety issue with any amount of reheating.

If we had picked up takeout food and wanted it to remain safe, we could hold it in a proper container (not the Styrofoam box) in a preheated oven to maintain the temperature at 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Our car was warm but not as warm as an oven.

If we plan to eat takeout food the next day, we can place it in a shallow pan and refrigerate it. Then food can be reheated to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Reheating food should occur within two hours.

In other words, you would not place leftover soup or stew in a pot on the stove and let it slowly warm for many hours. During that time, you could grow bacteria and their toxins.

In the spirit of my lost leftovers, here is an easy recipe perfect to use with fresh produce from a local farmers market, your backyard garden or a grocery store.

Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

1½ pounds chicken breasts cut into ½-inch strips

2 red bell peppers, sliced into strips

1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 onion, sliced

3 tablespoons olive or canola oil

1 packet taco seasoning, reduced sodium

1 lime

10 whole-wheat tortillas

Optional toppings: shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, avocado slices

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle taco seasoning and drizzle olive oil into a bowl with chicken, bell peppers and onion. Toss to coat. Spread contents on a greased pan sheet; bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Squeeze lime juice over a pan and serve with whole-wheat tortillas.

Makes 10 servings (one fajita per serving). Without added toppings, each fajita has 280 calories, 9 grams (g) fat, 20 g protein, 27 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber and 380 milligrams sodium.