Nutrition: Slow Cooling Your Leftovers is Poor Practice
Some people believe you should allow leftovers to cool on the kitchen counter before they are placed in the refrigerator. They feel that allowing leftovers to cool slowly reduces the chances they will spoil, and reduces the load on their fridge.
However, this is a myth. Since bacteria can double every 30-40 minutes, food should be put in the fridge right away - a practice that is recommended by the Food and Drug Administration.
Make it a habit to immediately put unused food in the fridge. For quicker cooling, divide large quantities of food into several storage containers and store at lower than 40 degrees Celsius.
Reference: "The Myth of Cooling Leftovers." IDEA Fitness Journal, May 2007. http://www.ideafit.com/publications.asp
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