The 5-Second Rule Investigated

j-beda writes "Here is an interesting report on a student project about the 5-second rule: ' If You Drop It, Should You Eat It? Scientists Weigh In on the 5-Second Rule.' 'According to Clarke, a senior at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, the 5-second rule dates back to the time of Genghis Khan, who first determined how long it was safe for food to remain on a floor when dropped there. Khan had slightly lower standards, however; he specified 12 hours, more or less.' How long can you safely leave dropped food on the floor before picking it up to eat? You know you've always wanted to have the definitive answer ..."

Comments

Nasty....

[reaper20]

I worked as a line cook for 3 years during high school and another 4 while I attended college. I have _never_ met a cook that abided by this rule.

You might want to, as much as we all now want to go BOFH on every person we know, but in the end, our family and friends eat there, and what's the extra 5 minutes?

One thing I've learned from doing both tech and "hard labor" while I was younger is: professionalism is professionalism. That cook doesn't want you eating that nasty steak more than a professional programmer wants his unfinished project to be released early.

Re:Only One Suprise, Guess At The 12 Hour Rule

[skwirlmaster]

Perhaps a "average" woman's floor is clearner than the average man's. The before mentioned would-I-eat-off-this-floor rule comes into play.
My experience (at least in high school and college) that my buddies floors were quite unsanitariy.

Stinky Meat

[jbarr]

For a truely (almost) scientific look at what happens when you leave food out, check out the Stinky Meat Project.

Not for the faint of heart...