Ramen is a delicious noodle soup dish that can be eaten at any time of the day. If you’re wondering how long cooked ramen can sit out before it goes bad, we have all the answers here.
How Long Can Cooked Ramen Sit Out?
Cooked ramen can sit out for around 2 hours before it starts to spoil. However, it’s recommended to finish the noodle within 30 minutes since it will lose all of it’s moisture and become soggy. Once it’s been over 2 hours, it’s best to discard the entire content as it will be no longer safe to consume. In addition, you won’t enjoy it since it will be mushy.
Why Is Cooked Ramen Spoiling?
There are two main reasons why cooked ramen can spoil: bacteria growth and food poisoning. Bacteria grow very easily on foods like cooked ramen because they contain a lot of moisture and nutrients for bacteria to feed on.
Food poisoning occurs when someone eats contaminated food such as spoiled cooked ramen and experiences symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea within 2 days after consumption.
How Can You Tell If Cooked Ramen Is Spoiled?
Once the ramen noodle is cooked, they tend to spoil quickly. This is due to the loss of moisture in the noodle.
Here are three signs that your cooked ramen may have gone bad:
Sour smell: Cooked ramen smells sour when it goes bad. This odor could be caused by foodborne pathogens like listeria and salmonella, which grow well at warm temperatures such as those found in your refrigerator
Rancid taste: Cooked and refrigerated ramen tastes rancid when it’s spoiled, which means there might be harmful bacteria growing inside the noodle packet
Spoiled texture: Cooked and refrigerated ramen has a gelatinous texture when it’s spoiled, which means there could be harmful bacteria growing inside the noodle packet. You might also notice that some portions of your noodle packet look darker than others.
Storing Cooked Ramen At Room Temperature
If you’re not going to eat your cooked ramen right away, it’s best to store the leftovers in an airtight container. You can keep them on your countertop for a few hours.
Make sure the container has a lid so no flies and other insects can get into it.
Is It Safe To Eat Cooked Ramen That Was Left Out Overnight?
It’s not a good idea to leave cooked ramen out for very long. Bacteria grow rapidly at room temperature, so any longer than an hour or two is risky.
The worst-case scenario is that you’ll get sick from botulism, which is a serious illness that could even lead to death if left untreated.
So, any cooked ramen you have left out overnight so be thrown away immediately.
Conclusion
Cooked ramen is a delicious and convenient food to enjoy at home, but it can go bad quickly if you don’t follow proper storage procedures. The best way to store cooked ramen is in an airtight container when stored at room temperature. It should be kept there for no longer than 2 hours before it goes bad and needs to be thrown away.
Kate has been in the food business for over 20 years. Worked as a cook at several buffets which include Old Country Buffet, Five Star Buffet, and Ichiban Buffet. Now, I’m mostly at home cooking for my family, caring for chickens and ducks, and tending the garden.
