this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2024
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Food Crimes - Offenses against nutrition

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Using cooked meat or not, almost certainly not going to get hot enough to pasteurize and not airtight to prevent contamination.

So...sounds like a perfect incubator for bacteria.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago (3 children)

I don't know where this is but it doesn't sound impossible to me. A quick Google shows that the FDA recommends 160 F for casseroles and that in direct sunlight a car can hit 160 if the ambient temp is >105 F. I know mailboxes aren't cars, but over a longer period in a smaller metal box, it seems like the math could check out

[–] [email protected] 42 points 2 months ago (6 children)

I live in Utah where it's been sinfully hot and dry for the last week. I fully intend to test this theory. I just bought a high temp probe that should get here tomorrow. I will provide an update once the testing has been completed.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Alright, I have the sensor installed. It's a bit cooler and more overcast today, but I'll hopefully be able to get some good data.

A graph from Home Assistant showing the current temperature of the mailbox.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I don't know if this could inadvertently dox you but I'd be curious to see an hourly outside temperature too to see how much hotter a mailbox gets than outside. Based off your first graph here I'm wondering if cars having glass windows makes a greenhouse effect that would make a car hotter than a mailbox, everything else equal?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Seems like a worthwhile thing to do! I'm not worried about doxxing, since someone would have to go to pretty extreme measures to correlate with the exact climate where I'm at. I installed the sensor after the hottest time of day had already passed, but here's what it looked like:

A graph showing the outside temperature versus the temperature in the mailbox.

I'm pretty sure the spikes in the mailbox temperature were due to cloud cover.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In my opinion this pretty conclusively proves that you can't make a mailbox lasagna. This is the graph I looked but for my previous statement:

A graph showing the temperature the inside of a car can reach in the sun

And it shows that a car can hit 130-140 at temps around what you posted. Which is so much wildly higher than what you posted I do have to assume cars have some sort of greenhouse effect going that mailboxes don't

Finally when you consider how much of the total volume of a mailbox a lasagna covers, I have to imagine that'll slow heating down even more! Great work!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

As a follow-up, I have a new record temperature. Thanks, West Coast heat dome!

altr

Here's with the ambient air temperature:

altr

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Damn. Even with the crazy high heat you're basically parking the food right in the danger zone for bacteria growth. Mailbox lasagna: busted

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

science! I'm very pleased.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

By the way, just a quick tip, if you haven't already maybe try airgapping the sensor from the metal with some foam so you're measuring the air itself.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I have it positioned right now so that the probe tip isn't touching any metal, but I'll probably add a bit of foam. I have some incredibly irritating foam packing peanuts that would probably work well. I'll go do that now.

EDIT: here it is, in all its gloriously crappy, uh, glory:

a picture of a temperature probe poking into the inside of a mailbox. A Styrofoam packing peanut with a hole in it has been put over the probe to stop it from touching the walls of the mailbox.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Haha it's beautiful. Curious about the results.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

Fuck yeah, I love this. I'm so excited to see your results

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Please, post it so we can see!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

I just found this thread, this is amazing :D

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I don't know. I've seen this used occasionally and thought I'd try it here. What's to lose?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

Unless your mailbox has a bunch of windows, you won't be getting the big greenhouse effect

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

So.. it might work great for posthummus?

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

If you make hummus in a mailbox, and eat it later, you are eating it posthummusly.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I pelt you with chickpeas.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Of course, you know the difference between a Garbanzo bean and a chickpea.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I’ve never had a naked Garbanzo bean in my mailbox while on the run from a police dog and high on meth

[–] [email protected] 35 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Do we all understand this is meant as a commentary on climate change, and not an actual recommendation to use your mailbox as a cooking implement?

...uh, folks?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Then explain "Dishwasher Salmon".

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

"Oh shit my oven isn't working and I have company coming over..."

glances at dishwasher

"hmmm...."

[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 months ago

I would just assume you left me a lasagna when I delivered your mail

Imagine my anger realizing my free lunch isn't cooked

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Just buy a damn solar oven and leave the mailbox alone.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 2 months ago

Why would I spend all that money to buy a solar oven when I've already got a perfectly good mailbox?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Buy one? They're ridiculously easy to make yourself

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 months ago (1 children)

In fact, if you have a mailbox then you already have one!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago

Full circle

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 months ago

No no, let him cook!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Oh look, I got a subpoena but it's drenched in grease. And here's a letter from Aunt Edna, also totally soaked. Mailbox cooking is the best though.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I hope there's no stray dogs in your neighborhood, or you might have trouble getting to your mailbox at all when you come home.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

If the dogs are big, maybe the box won't be standing any longer.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Pretty standard hotbox cooking. It's not the cleanest, but nothing criminal except the act itself.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 months ago

Put it in a box for hygiene