The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio (@academymedcle) doesn’t like potato salad at picnics. In a viral TikTok with over 315,000 views, a doctor details why he doesn’t mess with the food anymore. In short: It’s just a hotbed of warm germs.
“I don’t eat potato salad anymore,” he confesses at the onset of his video. “Because all the med school tests about foodborne illnesses is always related to potato salads at picnics.”
The high levels of grossness that can stew in potato salad that’s been out for too long have been written about at length. All Recipes penned a piece delineating the duration potato salads can be left out before nastiness sets in. The outlet writes that “dangerous temperatures” can render tater salad “a hotbed for bugs and bacteria to grow.”
You may assume that the culprit for potato salad’s proclivity towards breeding foodborne illnesses is rooted in its mayonnaise. However, this isn’t the case: “It’s actually the potatoes themselves,” All Recipes says. Because potatoes are a “low-acid food” similar to rice, “they can quickly become a hotspot for the growth of bacteria.”
@academymedcle Replying to @Aubrey ♬ original sound – academymedCLE
The Danger Zone
According to the Food and Drug Administration, there’s a particularly gnarly climate zone that’ll render most foods dangerous to eat. Any potato salad not kept below 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours should be shunned. However, if it’s 90 degrees or hotter outside, you only have an hour to eat non-refrigerated potato salad.
So what’s a picnic/barbecue enjoyer who appreciates cold salads supposed to do? One: Leaving them out in the sun is no bueno, get them in the shade. But that’s not enough—consider leaving them in coolers until they’re ready to serve. Let guests know you’ve got salads on ice. The few extra seconds to fetch them might save you hours on the toilet, or days writhing in bed.
The good doctor in the TikTok post isn’t the only academic mind that’s waxed on about the dangers of potato salad. Michigan State University further explained how the lack of acidity in potatoes lends the dish to becoming a hotbed of bacteria. Just like all living organisms, bacteria are fighting us for food. “Bacteria need protein to grow, just like us, and we’re essentially competing against them for food,” the piece stated. “Bacteria are trying to eat our food right out from under us.”
And while bacteria love foods with lower pH’s, like pasta, potatoes, and meat, stuff with acid keeps germs at bay. It’s why you can leave a lot of fruits and pickles out without needing to refrigerate them.
TikTokers chime in
One commenter wanted to stress that the doctor wasn’t saying all potato salads were bad. “‘At picnic’ is the crucial words! Potato salad made properly and kept chilled below 40° is perfectly fine,” they said.
Someone else, however, replied that their love for potato salad has been forever tarnished. “I can’t be the only one that is absolutely devastated,” they said. “I just know my brain will always remember this when I see potato salad.”
Another wrote that they probably aren’t going to stop their potato salad-eating ways. “Ive never walked by a potato salad and not eaten a spoonful so Im hoping Im just immune to it at this point,” they wrote.
There was one sage bit of advice another TikToker shared: Don’t trust other people’s potato salads. “My mom drilled it into me- if you didn’t make the salad (egg/chicken/potato) yourself – don’t eat it.”
Apparently, it isn’t just potatoes that’s the problem either. “The onions. I was taught that 15yrs ago in a food safety course. They start attracting bacteria immediately once cut. Buy small onions so you use them right away and not left too long in the fridge.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @academymymedcle via TikTok comment for further information.
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