It is funny that it's so hot outside that you can bake a lasagna in your mailbox, but you shouldn't actually eat it.

Mailbox Lasagna

With much of the United States experiencing a heat wave, you usually see funny posts pop up all over the internet about things you can cook outside because it is so hot.  One of those recipes that recently went viral was the story of mailbox lasagna.

A Tennessee weatherman recently showed that it got hot enough outside that if you placed an uncooked lasagna in the mailbox, it would get cooked. And while that is pretty fascinating, it's important to remember that just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Why Mailbox Lasagna/Bread/And Other Treats are a Bad Idea

While I know many are posting the mailbox lasagna recipe as a way to show folks just how hot the temperatures are getting outside, it's important to remember (and I can't believe I'm saying that) that you shouldn't actually eat lasagna cooked in a mailbox.

My first thought when I saw the mailbox lasagna recipe was, what about bugs? I don't know about you, but my mailbox gets spiders in it, and I don't want those in my lasagna.  But if the bugs don't scare you from doing the mailbox lasagna recipe, maybe the potential food-borne illnesses will.

Have you ever had food poisoning?  I have and it's straight up not a fun time.  If you've never had food poisoning allow me to paint a (non-descriptive) picture.  Imagine your body immediately needing to evacuate everything you've ever consumed by any means necessary.  I'll leave the rest to your imagination....

Why Mailbox Lasagna is a Food-Borne Illness Breeding Ground

What it all comes down to is temperature.  On the most basic level, is it hot enough to cook the lasagna?  Sure! But is it actually hot enough to kill the bacteria that needs to be killed when you're cooking food?  Nope.

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Recently Safe Food Training Academy shared that the temperature that the mailbox gets to in the heat, is the perfect temperature for bacteria to thrive.

Heat wave caution: ‘Mailbox Lasagna’ recipes from @nws or your local weatherman can be a recipe for foodborne illness. It’s fun to joke in a heat wave- but food borne illness is no joke, and no fun! These heat wave temps fall in the temperature danger zone for food and bread bacteria! Don’t risk it—stay mindful of food safety guidelines for a healthy meal!

Check out their helpful post below, and while it may be a fun experiment to bake something inside of your mailbox, just don't eat that experiment.