6 day old spaghetti?
Is it ok to eat 6 day old spaghetti if it looks and smells and tastes (yes I took a bite) fine?? I brought it for my lunch to work. We made it last Wednesday for dinner.
Can a plastic jar of spaghetti sauce from the store get botulism?
I opened a brand-new jar today, and it seemed to "pop" a little more than usual (more pressurized). After I poured the sauce in the pan, I tasted it, and immediately spat it out. It tasted bitter and carbonated--it was actually fizzing in my mouth, almost to a burning degree. I rinsed my mouth out repeatedly while trying not to swallow and brushed my teeth. When I looked at the sauce in the pan, it was bubbling/fizzing a bit. (Mind you, I hadn't turned the heat on yet.) It smelled pretty strong, too--I hadn't noticed when I first opened it, but it smelled very strongly of its ingredients--like a super-garlic or something. When I opened the fridge where it had been stored, unopened, I noticed a ring beneath where it had sat--apparently it had also been leaking from somewhere, although I can't find any holes. There's some liquid on the outside of the container, though, in small condensation-like amounts. (I know the ring in the fridge was from this and not something else, because I had wiped down the fridge right before putting this load of groceries in on Tuesday!) So--I've heard that fermentation or a run-of-the-mill microbe can do this. But botulism terrifies me. I always thought it was just canned food, like tin cans, but now I'm not so sure. Anyone know anything about this? I didn't ingest the sauce, but if it was botulism, I'm worried that even having it in my mouth for that couple seconds, and any invisible residue left behind, could get me. Help!
Unopened jar of pasta sauce says best before 03/22/09. Can I still use it, or throw it away?
The government forces companies to put expiration dates on all food products. Many foods really do expire within the time limit on the package, but anything canned (jarred) is good for years. The quality can start to deteriorate, but it is safe to eat as long as the seal has not been broken prior to you opening it. You buy a gallon of milk and it says "Buy by May 28, 2009, but milk is usually good up to 5-10 days past this date. You know when milk is going bad as it begins to thicken. You would not throw milk away in the fridge that is still good just because the date is past, so why would you do this with spaghetti sauce? People home can food (in Mason jars) and keep these for up to 3-4 years. Even the cans and jars you buy at the store are dated for about 2 years after they are processed. If they are good for two years, then why not two years and six months? They are sealed and they will last for years. Botulism, salmonella, e-coli, and other nasties cannot get inside the jar because it is sealed. Eat it. It is good.
I accidentally left a big pot of turkey meatballs and red sauce out overnight. Is it safe to eat?
First my credentials - I am a National Restaurant Association Serve Safe (R) certified instructor, and am a FSMA and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Quality Control consultant on an international level.Now let's analyze the risk: Not all foods are potentially hazardous. We leave butter, oil, fruit, vegetables, dry foods, canned foods, cooked bacon, etc at room temperature. There are milks that are shelf stable, hams that don't need to be refrigerated, all because either the pH/water activity isn't suitable for bacterial growth. So the fact of being at room temperature isn't sufficient to determine the risk.Turkey is poultry and is a pre-cooked item so is potentially hazardous due to salmonella (poultry) and Listeria (cooked Meats). Presuming the meatballs were heated last night to at least 165 degrees for at least 5 seconds at or above that temperature, the bacteria that would have existed on the meatballs or sauce would have been killed. That is IF it reached that temperature to the center of the meatball (salmonella is ON THE SURFACE of raw turkey, but becomes mixed to the core when ground).If you are unsure if it reached that temp, the risk is that there could be contamination, and, at between 43 degrees and 140 degrees F, bacteria grows (temperature danger zone). The longer it is in that zone, the greater the growth. If you killed 98% of the bacteria last night, and it sat out for 8 hours in the danger zone, then that 2% would definitely grow.If you bought the meatballs pre-cooked from the grocer, then it is a good presumption that they killed all bacteria in the plant before freezing. Unless anyone in your house handled the meatballs without washing hands, introducing cross-contamination, there is very little risk that the meatballs are unsafe to eat.But, unless they're so amazing and you can't bear the thought of tossing them, I'd dump them. But if you choose not to, the chances are very slim they'll make you sick.
Does storing food in pots and pans in the refrigerator poison the food?
No that does not make you sick. I do that all the time. Its best to not store in the pan longer than 24 hours but if he did the soup last night you aren't sick from the way it was stored. I think the warning came about because pans were made of coarse metals and iron pots and that can leech into food. Most pots now are stainless steel.
Bad effects of leaving metal fork/spoon in a bowl in the refrigerator?
Some metals can be toxic, like copper and aluminum. Stainless steel is harmless and food can be stored in this type of container or with a stainless steel spoon left in the food. Copper, aluminum and cast iron are metals that will react with acidic ingredients that will make a person ill. Acidic ingredients like dairy and tomatoes should not be used in these types of cookware. Cream of tartar used in copper bowls can be especially toxic.